ADA\ACE 


STANLEY  \VATEBLGD 


ARMAGEDDON 


'. 


ARMAGEDDON 


A  TALE  OF  LOVE,  WAR,  AND 
INVENTION. 


STANLEY    WATERLOO, 

AUTHOR   OF 

THK  STORY  OF  An,  "  "  A  MAN  AND  A  WOMAN, 
"  AN  ODD  SITUATION,"  KTC. 


CHICAGO  AXD  NFAV  YORK: 

KAN'I).    \h  XAI.LV  vV   CO.MI'AN'V. 

PUBLISHERS. 


ARMAGEDDON. 


CHAPTER    I. 

THE  REDDENING   HORIZON. 

In  the  first  years  of  the  present  century  the 
nations  were  in  turmoil.  The  nineteenth  cen 
tury  had  flickered  out  in  something  like  racial 
warfare,  and,  while  there  had  been  an  adjust 
ment,  while  there  was  nominal  peace  through 
out  the  hemispheres,  there  was  an  undercur 
rent  of  fear,  and  mighty  preparations  were 
making  among  the  nations  which  were  domi 
nant.  The  whole  world  was  afoot  and  gird 
ing  itself  for  threatening  war. 

The  wonder  was,  not  so  much  that  such  a 
condition  should  exist  as  that  there  should 
have  been  maintained  so  long  even  a  sort  of 
semi-equilibrium  in  international  relations. 
When  the  Spanish-American  war  ended  all 
points  of  contact  between  the  nations  were  in 
flamed.  Something  must  happen.  It  is  true 


2138SS7 


0  ARMAGEDDON. 

that  nothing  absolutely  <kTmite  as  to  the 
future  connections  ami  alliances  of  the  gov 
ernments  of  the  world  had  yet  been  deter 
mined  upon,  but  the  air  was  weighted.  There 
had,  so  far,  been  no  formulated  alliance  of  the 
Anglo-Saxons;  there  had,  as  yet,  been  devised 
no  offsetting  European  combination,  but  the 
political  atmosphere  of  th  •  world  had  that  op 
pressiveness  which  ])recedes  a.  thunderstorm, 
and  thoughtful  statesmen  knew  that  the  storm 
must  come  and  that  its  lightning-strokes 
\vould  obliterate  forces  and  change  maps. 

The  attitude  of  the  Americans  was  optimis 
tic,  with  a  readiness.  There  was  a  living 
leaven  in  the  lump,  the  leaven  of  two  hundred 
thousand  young  men  spread  evenly  through 
out  all  the  states,  who  had  responded  when 
the  call  to  arms  came  in  iSgS.  They  had 
been  victorious  and  were  made  much  of;  their 
friend^  and,  neighbors  regarded  them  highly; 
they  were  patriotic  and  had  much  to  say,  and 
they  made  public  opinion;  they  had  smelled 
gunpowder;  they  had  faced  battle-shot  and 
fever;  they  had  left  comrades  buried  in  shal 
low  trenches;  they  had  learned,  what  war  was. 
and,  after  a  little  rest  and  much  glory  were 
not  disinclined  for  war  ai/ain.  in  a  contingencv. 


THE   REDDENING   HORIZON.  7 

Otherwise,  America  was  just  about  as  it  had 
been  before  the  war  with  Spain.  Tt  is  true 
that  material  and  military  conditions  were 
somewhat  changed.  We  had  made  Cuba  an 
independent  republic;  Porto  Rico  we  had 
simply  annexed  as  a  strong  outpost,  the  gov 
ernment  of  the  island  being  but  an  incident. 
Over  in  the  Pacific,  Hawaii  had  come  in  as  a 
matter  of  course,  during  the  war,  and  we  had 
utilized  the  Philippines,  because  that  had  be 
come  for  us  a  national  and  international  neces 
sity.  The  Pacific  had  been  bridged;  to  us  be 
longed  the  conveniences  of  the  highway 
from  San  Francisco  to  Hongkong;  we  had 
taken  all  we  needed  but  only  what  we  needed. 

Not  a  nation  in  the  world  but  at  last,  and 
for  the  first  time,  realized  the  attitude  of  .the 
great  republic.  It  had  fought  and  defeated  its 
overweening  and  over-religious  adversary, 
had  banished  that  non-progressive  force  to  its 
home  provinces  and  had  then,  to  the  astonish 
ment  of  the  world,  abstained  from  seizing 
upon  all  of  the  near  and  remote  possessions 
within  its  grasp.  It  had  in  effect  said  to  the 
other  nations  of  the  world: 

(>I  have  more  than  scouted  across  my  con 
tinent.  1  have  occupied  even  its  western  shore 


8  ARMAGEDDON. 

and  bred  my  children  there.  They,  cast  and 
west,  are  among  the  great  thinking,  acting 
peoples  of  the  world,  and  must  have  all  due 
rights  and  privileges.  Across  the  broadest  of 
oceans,  the  eldest  of  empires  is  threatened 
with  division  and,  whether  divided  or  not,  it 
is  about  to  make  available  as  a  business  prize 
to  the  advanced  nations  of  the  world  its  vast 
commercial  privileges.  I  have  built  a  trade 
bridge — arranged  a  row  of  stepping-stones — 
across  the  Pacific;  I  must  maintain  the  station 
I  have  taken  and  have  the  means  of  defending 
my  highways  and  my  byways. 

"I  need  the  facilities  for  best  fighting  here 
and  there, — anywhere  about  the  globe  where 
it  may  become  necessary  for  me  to  fight,  but 
I  grasp  no  more  than  that  which  is  enough 
for  my  single  purpose,  and  T  have  no  thought 
of  seeking  to  seize  more  until  my  people  shall 
overflow  my  own  broad  land.  Then  they 
must  do  as  best  they  can.  Then  they  must  do 
as  their  Viking  ancestors  did.  Then  they 
must  have  it  in  them,  or  fail  to  have  it  in  them, 
to  say  to  what  degree  might  is  right.  For 
the  present,  they  have  demanded  nothing  and 
sought  nothing,  but  to  implace  themselves 
and  do  it  well  and  strongly  upon  such  points 


THE   REDDENING  HORIZON.  9 

about  the  globe  as  may  make  it  somewhat 
easier  in  life  for  their  great-great-grandchil 
dren.  Should  the  occasion  come  sooner  for 
the  utilization  of  these  vantage-places  so  much 
the  better  for  us  of  this  age  who  are  thinking 
out  this  thing  and  who  have  a  decent  degree 
of  readiness  for  any  sort  of  fight  to-day." 

Meanwhile  the  idea  of  an  Anglo-Saxon  al 
liance  had  grown  and  broadened.  It  had  been 
fostered  by  thinking  men  of  both  Great  Britain 
and  America.  Those  who  could  best  foresee 
the  future  of  races  favored  it,  and  those  who 
had  only  clannish  memories  in  mind  opposed 
it.  But  a  tentative  alliance,  at  least,  it  was 
evident,  must  come. 

Of  course  bitter  opposition  to  the  growing 
spirit  of  Anglo-Saxon  alliance  was  at  once 
manifested  by  a  large  number  of  ''American 
citizens"  possessed  of  fine  lungs,  foreign  birth 
or  teachings,  world-reforming  ideas,  and  great 
flux  of  words.  It  was  almost  droll,  but  the 
amiable  American  laws  gave  to  each  of  these 
eloquent  men  of  other  than  American  tradi 
tions  a  vote,  and  votes  secure  election  and 
Congressmen  want  to  be  elected  again.  Our 
school  books,  too,  had  long  taught  our  chil 
dren  to  think  of  Englishmen  as  enemies  and, 


TO  ARMAGEDDON 

especially,  in  the  country,  the  ancient  preju 
dice  somewhat  prevailed.  These  inthienc.es 
had  a  certain  potency. 

There  was  exerted,  also,  in  opposition  to 
the  contemplated  alliance,  informal  though 
the  alliance  might  be.  one  force  more  potent 
than  all  others  put  together,  that  exerted  by 
the  clement  composed  of  those  who  exploit 
themselves  as  "The  hereditary  foes  of  K up 
land,"  a  bnovant,  illogical  and  too  impression 
able  class,  led  often  astray  by  the  more  foxy, 
self-seeking  and  overtopping  representatives 
of  their  own  race.  Very  well  did  these  leaders 
understand,  though  they  didn't  mention  it, 
that  their  own  reasonably  regular  and  more 
or  less  full  and  easily  gained  incomes  were  in 
danger  if  there  were  to  be  an  abandonment 
of  the  race  enmity  brought  across  the  At 
lantic  to  be'  engrafted,  if  possible,  upon  the 
American  people. 

They  did  their  w«>rk  cleverly,  the  agitators: 
they  were  g'ib  talkers  and  their  fullowings  had 
long  been  organi/ed.  A  few  adroit  American 
ofiice  seekers  whimpered  and  whined  before 
them  and  cast  their  lot  with  them  for  a  time. 
but  only  for  a  time.  There  is  no  room  here 
to  tell  the  storv  of  the  airitator  who  had  lived 


THE    REDDENING   HORIZON.  II 

so  well  for  years,  nor  of  his  following  in  the 
lower  grades  of  American  politicians.  When 
the  great  culminating  wave  came  they  were 
all  swept  into  the  movement,  and — let  it  be 
said  to  the  credit  of  the  Irishman,  that  when 
the  time  came,  he  sprang  into  the  ranks  and 
fought  for  his  adopted  country.  The  average 
congressman  or  other  politician  whose  course 
the  agitator  had  influenced  was  found  or 
dinarily  among  the  home  guards. 

Of  course,  with  the  Anglo-Saxon  combina 
tion  in  sight,  the  European  nations  were  agi 
tated  by  doubts.  They  were  not  quite  a 
brotherly  group,  for  heretofore,  as  chances 
fell,  they  had  fed  upon  each  other.  Naturally, 
as  facing  the  combination  the  Russian  should 
come  first.  lie  is  the  great  growing,  creep 
ing  -  southward  -  and  -  eastward  threatening 
force.  Naturally,  the  Russian  wanted  no  com 
bination  of  America  with  Great  Britain.  lie 
was  inclined  to  make  much,  just  then,  of  his 
skin-deep  friendship  with  the  United  States, 
for  there  was  India.  It  must  be  said  of  this 
Slav,  too,  that,  notwithstanding  what  has  hap 
pened  and  is  to  be  here  related,  he  is  a  force 
great  in  the  present  and  perhaps  to  be  far 
greater  in  the  future,  lie  is  millions;  his 


12  ARMAGEDDON. 

priestly  domination  is  being  regulated  and 
modernized  by  Tolstoi  and  other  thinkers  of 
Russia;  he  learns  languages  more  readily  than 
does  ;my  one  of  any  other  race,  and  he  fights 
well  in  a  sort  of  kismet  \vay. 

It  may  be  possible  that  the  Slav,  developing 
on  ne\v  lines,  is  to  be  the  successor  of  tin- 
Anglo-Saxon  in  a  material  and  philosophic 
way,  his  strong  spirit,  enforced  by  militarism 
and  its  new-born  religion,  may  yet  direct  the 
altairs  of  the  world,  but  whatever  his  fntnre 
may  be,  the  day  of  the  Slav  has  not  yet  come, 
lie  but  struggled  toward  his  triumph  or  his 
fate,  as  the  event  might  prove. — as  was  nat 
ural.  The  Russian  Kmpire  moved  toward 
the  Anti-Anglo-Saxon  alliance. 

That  the  ( ierman  Kmperor  should  have- 
been  even  tempted  toward  such  an  alliance 
was  a  thing  extraordinary.  It  was  strange,  it 
was  remark-able  and  uncouth,  an  unconscion 
able  thing,  that  he  should  be  for  a  moment 
with  the  Slav  and  the  Latin  in  this  combina 
tion,  though  there  are  other  strange  incon 
sistencies  in  the  world's  affairs.  The  land 
which  gave  birth  to  the  founder  of  Christianity 
bows  to  the  prophet  Mahomet,  and  the 


THE   REDDENING   HORIZON.  13 

temples  of  India  know  not  the  gentle  religion 
of  Buddha. 

Why,  the  Emperor  of  Germany  ought  to 
have  been  proud  and  defiant  in  the  matter 
and,  since  he  liked  to  pose,  to  have  posed  as 
the  dean  of  the  Anglo-Saxons!  Of  course, 
we  are  all  Teutons.  Ancient  Germany  was  to 
Great  Britain  as  Great  Britain  is  to  America. 
In  the  area  of  acres  including  what  is  now 
consolidated  Germany,  lies  the  land  from 
which  upsprang  the  fellows  who  made  trouble 
for  Qesar — there  was  one  Vergincetorix  who 
was  a  beauty — and  they  were  Teutons  who, 
in  the  fury  of  seizing  and  populating  land, 
forced  themselves  northwestward  until  they 
reached  what  we  call  the  English  Channel, 
and  then,  with  Hengist  and  Horsa  and  the 
rest,  flung  over  to  an  island  and  found  Angles 
and  wolves  and  seized  upon  the  land  washed 
by  the  Gulf  Stream  and  made  a  new  race  of 
their  own,  the  race  that  broadened  the  Chris 
tian  religion,  the  race  that  has  peopled  with 
strong  men  the  wild  places  of  the  world;  the 
race  that  did  rather  a  neat  thing  at  Waterloo; 
the  race  which,  when  its  sons  fighting  among 
themselves,  as  in  the  Cromwellian  wars,  or 
the  war  of  the  Revolution,  or  the  American 


M  ARMAGKDDON. 

Civil  war.  has  a1\vays  done  exceedingly  well, 
and  under  stress  loo.  lint  the  (ionium  Fm- 
peror  and  some  of  his  advisers  failed,  at  an 
important  moment,  to  see  the  logical  attitude 
f<  >r  his  country. 

As  for  France,  her  attitude  was  not  unex 
pected  save  to  the  ignorant,  those  who,  hav 
ing  read  old  school  hooks  alone,  still  dreamed 
that  France  and  Russia  were  natural  allies  of 
the  United  States,  regardless  of  nature,  train 
ing,  belief  and  blood.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  and 
very  consistently,  in  heart.  France  had  been 
with  Spain  throughout  the  Spanish-American 
war.  Firstly,  and  most  dominant,  religious 
traditions  and  influences  trended  that  way; 
secondly,  financial  relations,  and  lastly,  blood 
and  family  relations.  A  somewhat  like  ex 
planation  would  apply  to  Austria,  though 
with  that  unhappy  empire  the  time  for  change 
and  experiment  had  come.  Here  too.  blood 
and  religion  counted,  and,  in  addition,  com 
plications  were  such  that  war  with  the  out 
sider  was  at  least  less  bad  than  the  civil  war 
impending. 

It  was  so  with  Italy,  though  in  a  lesser  de 
gree.  As  for  Spain,  all  the  desperate  ven 
geance-seeking  venom  which  could  be  bottled 


THE  REDDENING   HORIZON.  15 

up  in  a  proud  and  belittled  nation,  was  hers, 
and  Portugal  was  with  her,  as  a  matter  of 
course,  racially  and  religiously.  The  totter 
ing  Austrian  and  the  beaten  inhabitant  of  the 
southwestern  European  peninsula  were  to 
gether.  The  Anti-Anglo-Saxon  combina 
tion,  perfect  save  for  the  grumbling  of  a  por 
tion  of  the  German  people,  began  to  assume 
a  definite  form.  The  great  men  who  organ 
ized  it  were  men  of  earnestness  and  power; 
men  of  weakening  race  though  individually 
strong,  recognizing  the  decadence,  and  strug 
gling  persistently  against  the  evanishment  of 
racial  potency  which  some  inexorable  lawr  had 
decreed. 

Great  Britain,  the  isolated,  recognized  the 
situation.  She  fostered — and  not  altogether 
in  selfishness,  be  it  said — her  closer  growing 
relations  with  the  United  States.  And  in  the 
recognized  impending  emergency  her  liber 
ally  governed  colonies  drew  nearer  to  her. 
There  was  arming  in  Australia  and  in  Canada, 
and  there  were  significant  movements  of  bod 
ies  of  troops  in  India  and  on  the  Nile.  Yet 
the  Foreign  Office  was  reticent,  and  the 
Premier  blandly  informed  all  questioners  that 
Great  Britain  was  at  peace.  But  ever,  as  in 


if)  ARMAGH!)!)!  >.\. 

America,  was  heard  the  M>und  of  hammer 
upon  rivet  in  tlic  shipyards,  and  ever,  day  am1 
night,  tires  llashud  forth  red.ly  from  the  foun 
dries. 

As  the  statesman  walked,  the  earth  heaved 
underneath  his  feet,  though  hardly  enough 
to  unbalance  or  really  frighten  him.  lie  won 
dered  and  pondered  and  guessed,  as  did  all 
thinking  men.  but  hardly  conceived  the  mag 
nitude  of  the  coming  e;irth<|uake.  Xever  in 
the  history  of  the  world's  political  events  were 
those  directing  such  affairs  more  doubtful  and 
perplexed.  Would  the  almost  inevitable  war 
be  racial?  Would  it  be  religious?  Would  it 
be  simply  political  with  a  view  to  divide  tin- 
territory  of  the  weak:" 

Men  had  not  taken  into  consideration   Ap- 
pleton  and  the  Wild  (ioose.      In  this  circum 
stance  there  was  nothing  remarkable,  for  none 
had  ever  heard  of  either. 


DAVID    APPLKTUN. 


CHAPTER   II. 

DAVID    APPLETON. 

This  is  to  tell  of  certain  events,  some  pre 
ceding  and  some  growing  out  of  the  situation 
a's  outlined  in  the  last  chapter,  particularly  as 
they  affected,  and  ultimately  were  affected  by, 
my  friend,  David  Appleton. 

While  statesmen  and  princes  brooded  and 
struggled  over  problems  of  public  policy  and 
craft,  while  navies  fretted  the  seas,  and  armies 
shook  the  earth  as  they  marched  and  counter 
marched,  we  two  unknown  men,  encamped  on 
an  Illinois  prairie,  held  counsel  over  our 
special  perplexities,  meanwhile  looking  out  on 
the  broad  world  with  curious  eyes,  studying 
with  varying  thoughts  and  passions  the 
strokes  and  parryings  of  the  nations. 

David  Appleton  had  been  my  classmate  at 
college.  He  had  been,  truth  to  say,  most  un 
justly  unpopular  with  me  and  my  group  there, 
because  of  his  fellowship  with  algebra,  too 
surpassing  facility  in  calculus,  his  intimate 


I«  ARMAGEDDON. 

and  affectionate  relations  with  conic  sections, 
while  at  the  same  time,  he  was  well  regarded 
because  of  his  assistance  in  enabling  his  weak- 
er  brethren  to  pass,  though  totteriuglv,  the 
examinations  in  those  studies.  I'.efore  our 
graduation  he  and  1  became  warm  frienils. 
Anions^  those  ii] (rising  with  the  great  events  of 
the  last  year.  Appleton  has  been  a  looming 
figure  and  I  have  been  his  associate  and  as 
sistant. 

It  was  not  merely  as  a  mathematician,  bin 
to  some  extent  as  an  inventor  that  Appleton 
excelled,  even  in  his  college  clays.  It  was  he 
who  contrived  the  charming  system  of  pulleys 
by  which,  one  niglii,  we  raised  an  amiable 
cow  and  left  her  tethered  upon  the  roof  of  the 
chapel  building,  and  it  was  he  who  devised  a 
cut-off  for  the  gas  mains  a  hundred  yards  trom 
the  university.  The  gift  of  invention  grew 
with  him  after  he  engaged  in  the  struggle  with 
the  world.  lie  invented  something  about  a 
locomotive  and  made  money.  There  came  a 
time,  though,  when  he  abandoned  his  of  lice 
and  regular  business  and  was  not  seen  among 
his  friends  for  months.  L'pon  my  return  home 
from  Nicaragua,  where  I  had  been  \\ith  the 
Canal  Commission,  I  was  making  vain  in- 


DAVID   APPLETON.  19 

quiries  for  Appleton   when  one  day  he   sent 
for  me. 

The  explanation  of  my  friend's  absorption 
is  not  a  long  story.  He  was  experimenting 
and  promoting  an  invention  of  his  own  which 
he  declared  surpassed  everything  of  its  kind  ' 
conceived  in  the  past,  and,  furthermore,  as  he 
confessed  later,  he  was  in  love.  In  each  enter 
prise  he  was,  as  he  said,  "up  to  his  neck." 
The  outcome  of  the  love  affair  depended,  to 
an  extent,  upon  the  success  of  the  invention. 
But  what  was  most  important,  as  I  look  back 
now,  was  that,  upon  the  outcome  of  his  in 
vention  depended  in  a  measure  at  least,  as 
subsequently  appeared,  the  location  of  cer 
tain  boundary  lines  defining  the  mastership 
of  the  great  nations  of  the  world. 

It  was  Appleton's  sudden  reversion  to  our 
old  association,  the  flaming  up  of  the  former 
friendship,  which  appealed  to  me  most  strong 
ly.  I  had  thought  often  of  him  but  had  not 
imagined  that  he  had  me  as  much  in  mind. 
Yet  he  had,  in  a  way,  been  as  sentimental  as 
I.  \Ye  had  drifted  apart,  and  now  we  came 
together  again  in  Chicago.  We  were  more 
comfortable  because  of  it. 

1   rather  distinctly  approved    of    the  lank, 


20  ARMAGKDDON. 

brown  fellow,  as  lie  left  his  chair  .and  walked 
back  and  forth  with  his  hands  in  his  pockets, 
when,  one  day,  he  fully  opened  his  heart  to 
me.  There  was  a  clean  health}'  look  about 
him.  Here  we  were,  over  thirtv  years  of  a^e, 
each  of  us,  and  the  skin  lay  close  and  smooth 
upon  his  face,  while  his  eyes  were  as  clear  as 
when,  at  ten  years  of  ai^e,  he  had  chased  a  red 
squirrel  alon^  the  wood-bordered  rail  fence 
of  some  Wisconsin  farm,  llis  body  was  as 
health}'  as  his  mind. 

I  cannot  tell,  and  1  suppose  no  one  can — for 
I  should  know  if  anyone — the  story  of  the  de 
velopment  of  Appleton's  mind  after  he  left 
college  surcharged  with  the  sort  of  informa 
tion  which  miidit  aid  in  ^reat  work,  or  end 
in  nothing.  lie  was  simp]}'  a  man  witli  a  bi<^ 
brain  of  the  constructive  sort.  I  know  very 
little,  even  now,  of  his  earl}'  business  career, 
of  llis  successes  or  his  failures,  his  hopes  or 
his  disappointments.  I  do  not  know  how  it 
came  that  he  fumbled  his  way  through  to 
that  device,  which,  sold  to  the  railroads,  lett 
him  with  twenty-five  thousand  or  thirty-live 
thousand  dollars  to  the  i^ood.  Neither  can 
T  tell  what  vaulting  ambition  was  in  him  or 
from  what  trend  of  thought,  begotten  of  his 


DAVID   APPLETON.  21 

work,  came  to  him  broader  design  for  more 
hazardous  but  more  splendid  conquest.  He 
was  always  reticent  in  this  regard,  but, 
through  an  association,  which,  because  of  a 
host  of  things  of  which  I  will  tell  later,  be 
came  longer  continued  and  closer  than  is  usual 
with  most  men,  there  came  material  for  doubt 
less  nearly  correct  conclusions  as  to  his  quali 
ty.  Unbounded  ambition  he  had,  unlimited 
pluck  he  had  and,  withal,  an  imagination  and 
fancy  and  dreaminess  which  made  him  some 
times  almost  womanly.  Pretty  good  combi 
nation  that,  for  what  we  call  a  man,  wasn't  it? 
"It's  all  queer,"  he  said,  "But  I  think  you'll 
comprehend  it.  We  were  pretty  close  to 
gether  in  college,  weren't  we?  Though  we 
weren't  so  very  close  together  socially  or  in 
the  ways  of  the  college  fraternities  and  all  that 
sort  of  thing,  still,  somehow,  we  always  under 
stood  and  helped  each  other,  in  a  way,  and 
since  the  old  studying  time,  though  we  have 
corresponded  indifferently,  there  has  seemed 
to  be  a  connecting  link  between  us.  Maybe 
you  do  not  comprehend  it  as  I  do,  but  I  hope 
the  thing  is  mutual.  Anyhow  I  have  thought 
that,  perhaps,  if  in  some  strait  you  needed 
help,  you  would  send  for  me.  I,  at  least,  have 


22  ARMAGF.DDOX. 

felt  that  way  toward  vein.  It  has  come  in  my 
way  fn>t.  As  a  beginning  of  what  I  have  to 
say  to  you  I  \vill  summarize  the  situation. 

"1  have  succeeded,  after  a  fashion,  as  an 
inventor.  1  have  some  thousands  of  dollars. 
I  have  a  threat  enterprise  in  which  I  shall  need 
an  assistant  who  will  be  a  friend  and  confi 
dant.  There  are  labors  aside  from  the  sheer 
thought  to  be  productive  and  there  is  manual 
work  to  be  done.  I  must  have  a  brother  to 
help  me  in  a  legitimate  and  straightforward 
conduct  of  the  enterprise.  There  arc  money 
considerations.  My  success  from  a  worldly 
point  of  view  is  involved,  and  that  affects  my 
life  at  its  core  as  it  touches  the  possibilities  of 
the  future  with  the  woman  I  have  told  you 
about.  I  suppose  1  must  be  an  isolated  per 
son.  Anyhow,  you  arc  the  only  man  in  the 
world  to  \\hom  1  felt  I  could  appeal. 

"I  have  abandoned  my  regular  business. 
which  was  successful,  and  am  working  upon  a 


weights  into  the  air,  and  holding  them  there 
without  support  from  below.  I  have  a  new 
thought  —  an  idea  of  entirely  new  application 
in  this  connection,  and  since  I  abandoned  my 
self  to  this  particular  undertaking  there  have 


DAVID   APPLETON.  23 

arisen  new  difficulties  and  perplexities,  but  I 
am  right  in  my  idea.  Will  you  help  me?  As 
to  your  helpful  ability,  so  far  as  my  purpose 
goes,  it  largely  consists  of  your  nerve  and  per 
fect  understanding  of  me.  As  to  that,  I've 
already  made  up  my  mind.  I  can  offer  you 
some  money,  enough  at  least  to  make  you 
safe,  and  of  course  you  will  prosper  should 
the  undertaking  succeed,  as  I  firmly  believe 
it  will.  You  will  have  plenty  of  hard  work, 
an  opportunity  for  the  exhibition  of  your 
friendship,  and  a  chance  to  meet  infinite  bodily 
peril.  \y:m  will  share  with  me  at  last  what 
comes  to  the  large  gambler  upon  a  large  scale, 
whether  he  be  one  in  cards  or  stocks  or  in  the 
broader  and  better  game  where  minds  are 
strained  to  some  purpose,  where  even  the  fu 
ture  affairs  of  nations  may  be  affected.  Prob 
ably  this  sharing  will  be  to  your  good,  but 
you  must  take  your  chances.  The  details  I 
will  tell  you.  After  that,  you  can  determine. 
I  know  that  I  have  thought  of  what  no  other 
man  has  conceived,  and  have  done  that  which 
has  not  been  done  before." 

.Ml  this  and  more  Appleton  said,  and  that 
nip-ht  1  could  think  and  dream  of  nothing  but 


24  AR.MAGKDDOX. 

him  and  his  enthusiasm.  The  next  day  he 
piloted  me  out  through  the  western  verge  of 
the  city  and  to  the  prairie  where  he  was  at 
work. 

It  was  a  quiet  place,  on  the  western  bank 
of  the  Des  Plaines  River.  Looking  toward 
the  water  one  saw  the  gracious  outlines  of  the 
waving  elms  and  strong-limbed  oaks  which 
lined  the  shallow  stream,  and  toward  the 
north,  west  and  south,  the  prairie  rolled, 
broken  in  the  distance  occasionally  by  an  or 
chard-surrounded  farmhouse,  a  greener  island 
in  the  sea  of  green. 

From  rough  boards  Appleton  had  built  a 
long  wide  shed,  or  rather  barn,  for  it  was  lofty, 
and  in  this  his  treasure  was  enclosed,  most  of 
the  room  being  used  as  a  workshop.  A  small 
space  at  the  south  end  of  the  building  had  been 
fitted  up  as  an  office  and  living  rooms,  and 
from  this  end  a  rude  pia/./a  extended  but  a 
few  feet  over  the  unbroken  prairie  sod. 

\Ve  passed  through  the  rooms  directly  to 
the  space  provided  for  the  machine.  The 
long  room  was  open  on  one  side,  being  fitted 
with  great  sliding  doors  on  the  west,  and  there- 
was  a  framework  outside  resembling  some 
what  the  platform  of  a  boat  house.  It  was  all 


DAVID   APPLETON.  25 

strange  and  new  to  me,  and  I  was  interested 
when  Appleton  proceeded,  directly  and  sim 
ply,  to  the  explanation  of  his  invention  in 
terms  suited  to  the  comprehension  of  a  lay 
man. 


26  ARMAGEDDON. 


CHAPTER  If!. 


It's  pretty  hard  work,  trying  to  tell  about 
Applcton's  invention.  lie  had  engaged  the 
services  of  some  elever  fello\\/.,  all  of  one  fami- 
ly,  I  think,  and  they  were  working  for  him 
and  were  of  great  service  to  us,  to  the  end  of 
our  >tay  on  the  prairie,  though  not  confidcn- 
tiallv  so  as  was  an  odd  fellow  who  came  later. 
I  suppose  that  I  am  not  a  good  person  to  tell 
what  the  invention  was.  I  can  only  do  so  in 
a  general  way  and  within  my  limitations. 

The  main  feature  was  a  great  torpedo- 
shaped  thin^  with  an  aluminum  exterior.  The 
thickness  of  this  aluminum  covering  was  a 
matter  of  constant  and  violent  debate  between 
Appleton  .and  me,  after  I  became  identified 
with  the  enterprise.  With  no  weight  to  speak 
of,  it  meant  vast  buoyancy;  with  a  greater 
weight  it  meant  less  buoyancy  and  more  dis 
aster  following  the  inevitable  experimental 
alighting.  Appleton,  after  much  thought  and 
numberless  experiments,  had  decided  to  take 


ON  THE   PRAIRIE.  27 

chances  with  this  buoyant  thing,  to  make  it 
as  light  as  possible,  and  to  rely  upon  the 
utilization  of  the  vast  force  he  had  at  his  com 
mand,  and  which  was  now  being  first  tried, — 
in  driving  in  a  certain  direction  something 
floating  in  a  surrounding  the  same  above  as 
below,  something  entirely  immersed  in  one 
element.  Appleton  had  gathered  together  as 
far  as  he  could,  the  forces  necessary  lor  the 
accomplishment  of  his  work.  He  had  stored 
electricity;  he  had  reservoirs  of  compressed 
and  liquified  air;  he  had  wonderful  contriv 
ances  for  the  reduction  of  friction  and  the 
reduction  of  weight  as  compared  with  force. 
I  was  doubtful  at  first,  but  I've  long  had  faith 
in  aerial  navigation — I've  always  had  since  a 
talk  years  ago  with  the  most  famous  of  living 
inventors,  when  he  gave  his  views  on  the  sub 
ject,  and  I  saw  plainly  that  Appleton's  "'Lift 
ing  machine,"  as  he  modestly  called  it,  looked 
toward  some  new  venture  in  aerial  experi 
ments.  Up  to  this  time  1  had  felt  no  ground 
ed  and  established  faith  in  Appleton.  lie  was, 
I  had  thought,  too  much  of  a  dreamer.  But, 
dreamer  though  he  was,  he  had  sense  and  he 
had  the  accretion  of  much  learning  in  his  short 
but  full  years  of  work  and  study.  What  other 


26  ARM  AGED  DOX. 


CHA1TKR   III. 
OX   Till-:   PRAIRIE. 

It's  pretty  hard  work,  trying  to  tell  about 
Appleton's  invention.  lie  had  engaged  the 
services  of  some  clever  fello\\s.  all  of  one  fami- 
ly,  I  think,  and  they  were  working  for  him 
and  were  of  great  ser\'ice  to  us,  to  the  end  of 
our  >tay  on  the  prairie,  though  not  confiden 
tially  so  as  was  an  odd  fellow  who  came  later. 
I  suppose  that  I  am  not  a  good  person  to  tell 
what  the  invention  was.  I  can  only  do  so  in 
a  general  way  and  within  my  limitations. 

The  main  feature  was  a  great  torpedo- 
shaped  tiling  with  an  aluminum  exterior.  The 
thickness  of  this  aluminum  covering  was  a 
matter  of  constant  and  violent  debate  between 
Appletoii  and  me.  after  I  became  identified 
with  the  enterprise.  With  no  weight  to  speak 
of.  it  meant  vast  buoyancy;  with  a  greater 
weight  it  meant  less  buovancy  and  more  dis 
aster  following  the  inevitable  experimental 
alighting.  Appleton.  after  much  thought  and 
numberless  experiments,  had  decided  to  take 


ON   THE   PRAIRIE.  27 

chances  with  this  buoyant  thing,  to  make  it 
as  light  as  possible,  and  to  rely  upon  the 
utilization  of  the  vast  force  he  had  at  his  com 
mand,  and  which  was  now  being  first  tried,— 
in  driving  in  a  certain  direction  something 
floating  in  a  surrounding  the  same  above  as 
below,  something  entirely  immersed  in  one 
element.  Appleton  had  gathered  together  as 
far  as  he  could,  the  forces  necessary  for  the 
accomplishment  of  his  work.  He  had  stored 
electricity;  he  had  reservoirs  of  compressed 
and  liquified  air;  he  had  wonderful  contriv 
ances  for  the  reduction  of  friction  and  the 
reduction  of  weight  as  compared  with  force. 
I  was  doubtful  at  first,  but  I've  long  had  faith 
in  aerial  navigation — I've  always  had  since  a 
talk  years  ago  with  the  most  famous  of  living 
inventors,  when  he  gave  his  views  on  the  sub 
ject,  and  I  saw  plainly  that  Appleton's  "Lift 
ing  machine,"  as  he  modestly  called  it,  looked 
toward  some  new  venture  in  aerial  experi 
ments.  Up  to  this  time  1  had  felt  no  ground 
ed  and  established  faith  in  Appleton.  lie  was, 
I  had  thought,  too  much  of  a  dreamer.  But, 
dreamer  though  he  was,  he  had  sense  and  he 
had  the  accretion  of  much  learning  in  his  short 
but  full  years  of  work  and  study.  What  other 


28  ARMAGHDDON. 

iiHMi  lind  learned  rind  what  he  had  devised  hiin- 
self  were  his.  Tie  knew  the  quality  of  the 
problem.  The  famous  inventor  had  said  that 
night  I  so  well  remembered: 

"(liven  the  power,  with  sufficiently  less  re 
latively  of  the  carried  weight  at  present  neces- 
>ary  to  produce  the  ])ower.  power  to  rise 
above  the  earth  and  maintain  a  fixed  posi 
tion  is  an  accomplished  tact.  At  present, 
we  do  not  produce  a  machine  which  can 
be  connected  with  some  gas-lifted  tiling, 
and  which  has  not  at  the  same  time  such 
weight  as  will  oltset  its  driving  power. 
What  is  lacking  to  make  a  dirigible 
thing  iloating  in  the  air  is  something  with 
vast  power  ot  propulsion  and  weight  so  light 
that  the  weight  is  not  a  counterbalance  to 
the  effect  produced." 

As  a  wondering  lad  1  had  heard  this  state 
ment  from  a  source  which  commanded  re 
spect,  and  now  I  saw  clearly  that  the  inventor 
had.  as  usual  with  him,  told  the  simple,  genius- 
b<  n-\]  truth.  Applet<  >n  had  some  idea.  1  le  had 
sought  something'  which  would  have  strong 
propulsive  machinery  of  the  lightness  desired. 
He  had  succeeded,  after  a  fashion. 

Aluminum  is  a  good  thing.     It  was  worth 


ON  THE   PRAIRIE.  29 

eighteen  dollars  a  pound  a  while  ago.  It  is 
worth  a  dollar  or  two  a  pound  now,  because 
some  clever  young  fellows  of  Cleveland,  fresh 
from  college,  invented  a  new  process,  and  the 
metal  which  lies  in  every  clay  bank  is  now 
given  to  the  world  for  a  moderate  price  which 
will  be  lower  still.  Appleton's  main  reliance 
for  the  initial  lifting — shall  I  call  it  floating 
medium? — was  made  of  aluminum.  He  had 
taken  the  Cleveland  men  into  his  confidence, 
and  in  that  city  the  machine  was  practically 
built,  though  put  together  in  the  prairie  barn 
where  I  now  beheld  it.  The  thing  was  about 
seventy  feet  long  and  fifteen  feet  across  and 
it  looked,  as  said,  like  a  torpedo.  The  metal 
was  as  thin,  and  strong  at  the  same  time,  as 
anything  of  its  kind  could  be.  Filled  with 
gas,  it  would  float  of  itself  with  quite  an  up 
ward  pulling  power  in  addition.  Plugged 
close  to  it,  attached  rigidly  and  barely  lifted 
when  let  loose  with  the  torpedo-shaped  thing 
was  a  sort  of  boat  or  carrier,  and  in  this  was 
the  powerful  driving  force  upon  which  Ap- 
pleton  relied.  Here  the  motive  power,  which 
I  must  not  too  clearly  specify,  comes  in  again. 
I  cannot  describe  the  device;  J  am  a  bungler 
at  it,  anyway,  and,  in  any  case,  1  have  no  right 


30  ARMAGEDDON. 

to  describe  it  with  accuracy,  hut  I  do  know 
this,  that  the  force  was  altogether  of  the  air, 
although  Appleton  was  experimenting  much 
with  electricity,  too.  The  manner  in  which, 
when  Appleton  touched  certain  buttons,  the 
luting  or  the  forward  driving  or  the  back 
ward-putting  screw  blades  revolved,  was  a 
spectacle  worth  seeing;.  The  steering-  ap 
paratus  was  such  that  Appleton  could  make 
the  device  go  up  or  down  at  his  pleasure,  and 
he  had  at  his  command  such  enormous  re 
sources  in  the  \\a\-  of  driving  power  that  he 
could,  under  certain  favorable  conditions, 
make  it  go  this  way  or  that  way  at  his  com 
mand.  Of  course,  all  this  presupposed  the 
calmest  weather.  There  had  been  other  in 
ventions  of  the  sort  almost  as  good  in  most 
ways,  it  seemed  to  me.  except  for  the  new 
motive  power  here'  employed.  The  tiling  once 
lifted  up  into  the  air  did  much  that  Appleton 
Imped  for.  \Ylicn  a  wind  came,  though, 
"things  were  different."  as  Appleton  said. 

It  doesn't  matter,  k'rom  the  moment  1  saw 
that  machine  and  heard  Appleton  tell  about 
it.  1  had  but  one  ambition — to  help  it  along, 
aid  as  1  might  in  perfecting  it,  and  be  lifted 
up  over  that  green  prairie  in  it.  1  resolved  to 


ON  THE   PRAIRIE.  31 

join  the  earnest  man's  working  force,  and 
stand  by  him  to  the  end.  I  became  an  en 
thusiastic  dreamer  with  him.  Dreamers  make 
the  world  progress,  after  all.  Ninety-nine  out 
of  the  hundred  fail.  The  hundredth  becomes 
one  of  the  world's  exclamation  points.  Cer 
tainly  here  was  a  chance. 

Within  a  week  I  had  moved  out  to  the  big 
barn-like  structure  on  the  prairie,  and  was 
as  absorbed  in  the  new  idea  as  Appleton  him 
self.  There  were  difficulties  worth  overcom 
ing. 

There  came  trouble.  I  shall  not  give  de 
tails,  but  there  were  the  usual  troubles  of  in 
ventors.  We  could  never,  proud  as  we  were 
of  our  machine,  quite  adapt  ourselves  to  the 
winds  of  the  upper  air.  They  were  too  much 
addicted  to  carrying  us  away  with  them.  We, 
necessarily,  accepted  the  situation  and  drifted 
downward,  with  such  gradual  slope  as  we 
could  command,  to  the  peaceful  prairie, always 
within  a  mile  or  two  of  home,  and  one  of  us 
went  over  to  the  cabin  and  made  arrangements 
for  bringing  back  the  paraphernalia.  The  two 
horses  which  we  kept  in  the  old  shed  outside 
the  big  building  had  become  accustomed  to 
dragging  the  great  invention  back  and  forth. 


32  ARMAGEDDON. 

riiey  were  not  harnessed  as  horses  of  the  fire 
departments  of  ^reat  eities  may  be,  in  a  mo 
ment,  lint  they  were  pretty  nearly  that  way. 
They  knew  instinctively  when  disaster  had 
come  and  almost  Miorted  in  their  stalls  when 
they  saw  ()T>ricn — whom  I  will  tell  of  later 

— coming  in  to  hitch  them  to  the  old  waLn>n 
with  its  derrick  all  ready  for  use.  They  knew 
that  the}'  had  to  drai;'  that  preposterous  tor 
pedo  tiling  hack  a^'ain  to  its  resting  place  in 
the  bii;'  building.  Don't  tell  me  that  a  horse 
hasn't  intelligence.  Those  horses,  somewhat 
indignantly,  entered  into  the  spirit  of  the  great 
struggle.  1  was  worried,  but  nothing  affected 
Appleton.  That  big  brute,  with  that  big  head 
of  his,  knew  that  he  owned  a  coming  more 
or  less  practicable  air  traverser  and  went 
ahead  stolidly.  Really.  I  was  the  sufferer. 
Really.  I  am  the  one  man  who  outfit  to  have 
a  medal  of  some  sort,  but  Appleton  is  getting 
most  of  the  praise,  and  I  am.  as  I  tell  him, 
nobodv.  However,  it  doesn't  matter. 

(  )ne  day — a  day  of  hard  work — when  we 
reached  our  haven  at  night,  we  found  sitting 
at  ease  on  our  stoop — 1  suppose  I  should  say 
pia/za,  but  that  sounds  too  ambitious — a 
stranger,  lie  was  voung,  broad  ot  shoulder. 


ON  THE   PRAIRIE.  33 

deep  of  chest  and  a  trifle  below  the  medium 
height,  lie  arose  as  \vc  approached  and  in 
troduced  himself  as  O'Brien,  "Leander 
O'Brien,  son  of  old  man  O'Brien,  of  South 
Halsted  Street." 

Appleton,  looking-  at  the  newcomer 
thoughtfully,  seemed  to  remember  vaguely 
the  ancestral  O'Brien,  and  seated  himself  on 
the  steps  to  talk  with  the  visitor.  I  seated 
myself  as  well,  and  examined  Leander  O'Brien 
at  leisure.  He  had  a  queer  hunch  to  his 
shoulders  at  times  and,  when  enforcing  a 
proposition,  a  defiantly  appealing  turning  out 
ward  of  his  hands  which  was  most  effective. 
His  hair  was  cut  short  and  so  was  his  coat. 
His  eyes  were  of  the  watchful  sort,  but  steady. 
They  were  gray  and  the  lashes  and  eyebrows 
were  not  well  defined,  but  the  general  aspect 
of  the  face  was  that  suggesting  a  combina 
tion  of  faithful  follower  and  aggressive  citizen. 
The  young  man  seemed  a  sort  of  blithesome 
fighting  animal. 

"Are  youse  the  fellows  getting  up  a  flying 
machine?"  he  demanded  of  Appleton. 

Appleton  told  his  questioner  that  we  were 
probably  the  men  he  sought,  although  we 
were  not  flying  much  just  now. 

3 


34  ARMAGEDDON. 

"Arc  youse  the  man  who  helped  niy  father, 
old  man  O'lirien?" 

"I  am  I  )avid  Appleton." 

"Can  I  go  \vilh  yousc?"  implored  O'Brien. 
Then  thrusting  his  hat  far  hack  on  his  head, 
he  announced,  looking  at  first  one  then  the 
other  of  us: 

"Youse  must  take  me;    I'll  go  anyway!" 

I  can't  help  it — 1  must  digress  about  that 
hat.  It  is  part  of  things.  \\Vre  a  great  coun 
try,  a  beautiful  country  lying  between  two 
enormous  oceans,  and  there  are  vast  blue  in 
land  seas  and  forests  and  mountains  and 
prairies  and,  in  fact,  everything  pertaining  to 
landscape  even  until  you  get  down  to  bosky 
dells  and  sparrows  and  worms,  and  we  have 
a  great  signal  service  system  and  we  think  we 
are  clever,  but,  honestly,  I  believe  that  if,  in 
stead  ot  the  signal  service  stations  which  cost 
so  many  thousand  dollars  apiece  a  year,  we'd 
had  a  lot  of  Leander  ()' linens,  we'd  be  bet 
ter  off.  Talk  about  your  (lags  which  lly  from 
the  top  of  some  signal  service  station!  thev 
weren't  "in  it,"  are  not  in  it  and  never  will  be 
in  it  in  comparison  with  that  aggressive 
straight-rimmed  Derby  hat  of  his.  \Yhv.  the 
ilau's  on  the  signal  service  station  are  dumb 


ON  THE   PRAIRIE.  35 

thing's  compared  with  that!  It  set  fair  or  it 
set  stormy  or  it  set  doubtful  with  a  deadly  ac 
curacy  beyond  anything  all  the  officers  of  the 
signal  service  have  ever  yet  been  able  to  de 
vise.  For  instance,  suppose  it  were  set  fair, 
that  is  if  things  were  going  well  with  us  in 
the  estimation  of  Leander  O'Brien,  then  the 
hat  would  sit  lightly  and  jauntily  upon  the 
back  of  his  head  at  an  angle  of  about  forty- 
five  degrees,  and  his  face  would  beam  out  so 
roundly  and  glowingly  that  if  the  morning 
happened  to  be  a  little  crisp  you  wanted  to 
warm  your  hands  before  it.  Contrariwise,  if 
tilings  hadn't  gone  in  our  estimation  as  they 
should  have  gone,  and  our  attitude  regarding 
the  rest  of  the  world  was  either  defensive  or 
offensive,  then  Air.  O'Brien's  hat  had  a  long, 
low,  rakish  tilt  to  the  front,  with  the  greatest 
depression  immediately  over  the  left  eye.  I 
noticed  that  this  particular  tilt  of  his  hat  came, 
usually,  with  the  purple  twilight,  but  I  think 
it  was  rather  an  action  of  habit  than  of  hours. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  Air.  O'Brien  had  probably 
never  before  known  anything  about  a  sunset 
or  a  purple  twilight.  J  lis  idea  of  eight  o'clock 
in  the  evening  had  consisted  of  some  bad  gas 
lights  on  South  Ilalsted  Street  and  of  start- 


36 

ing  (Hi  adventures  with  "the  boys"  with  the 
hat  adjusted  as  described.  It  is  true  there 
was  something  incongruous  in  that  rakishly- 
tilted  hat  among  the  sweet  surroundings  of 
a  gentle  country  morning  or  midday  or  oc 
casionally  somewhat  foggy  gloaming.  It 
seemed  out  of  place.  It  was,  in  a  sense,  as 
if  a  man  should  casually  throw  a  brick  at  his 
grandmother  or  turn  handsprings  down  the 
middle  aisle  of  a  church  in  the  midst  of  ser 
vice;  still,  I  came  to  like  and  even  to  love 
the  air  with  which  O'lirieii  wore  his  hat.  All 
these  habits  grow  on  us.  It  became  so  that  I 
even  studied  the  degree  of  tilt  and  the  angle 
over  his  head  in  any  direction.  When  I  saw 
it  set  on  the  back'  of  his  head  I  became  elated; 
when  I  saw  it  cocked  deeplv  forward  in  a  low 
and  lurking  manner  I  became — to  put  it  mild 
ly — apprehensive. 

I  might  as  well  say  here.  that,  from  the 
moment  of  enlistment,  Lcandcr  O'Brien  never 
left  us.  lie  slept  on  our  porch  that  night, 
with  many  blankets  for  his  bed  and  covering, 
and  the  next  morning  at  davlight  as  I  looked 


ON   THE   PRAIRIE.  37 

Behind  him  stalked  a  dog",  not  noticed  by 
me  the  night  before,  though  without  doubt 
he  was  then  present  with  his  master.  It  was  a 
dog  that  belonged  distinctly  to  a  class,  but 
with  an  individuality  I've  never  seen  excelled. 
He  was  a  beautiful  dog,  that  is,  a  beautiful  dog 
in  the  sense  that,  like  Victor  Hugo's  Gwynp- 
laine,  he  was  so  ugly  as  to  be  entrancing".  He 
always  seemed  to  me  green  in  color.  He  was 
what  is  called  a  brindle  bull-dog,  but  he  was 
exceptionally  intense.  The  yellow  and  black 
and  a  certain  bronze  were  so  intermingled 
that  the  dog  seemed  to  me  almost  a  green, 
though  there  wasn't  much  sense  in  the  im 
pression.  I  think  the  shape  of  the  dog  ap 
pealed  to  me  even  before  his  color  or  general 
expression.  It  was  alarming,  but  fascinating. 
In  a  general  way,  the  figure  was  rakish  while 
at  the  same  time  broad  and  short. 

I  will  try  to  describe  the  dog  in  detail.  As 
I  have  already  said,  he  was  a  brindle,  but  there 
was  a  great  white  spot  on  one  side  of  him 
which  I  was  given  to  understand  had  been  the 
result  of  a  most  delightful  pit-fight  at  the  stock 
yards,  the  hair  upon  the  hcaled-up,  torn-out 
place  having  come  in  white  some  weeks  after 
the  encounter.  The  face  of  the  dog  was  very 


40  ARMACiKDDON. 


CHAPTER  [V. 


I  don't  know  how  to  describe  the  girl.  I 
don't  <|iiite  understand  ho\v  stich  a  fellow  as 
Applcton  could  have  attained  such  a  hold 
upon  her,  for  she  was  something  exceptionally 
worth  having-.  It  seems  to  me  that  Appleton 
with  his  beetling  brows  and  slouchy  aspect 
ought  not  to  have  the  right  to  make  such  a 
girl  as  Helen  I  )aggart  in  love  with  him. 
There  was  an  incongruity  about  the  whole 
blessed  business.  She  was  one  of  the  nattiest 
and  neatest  creatures  1  ever  saw.  tall  and  well 
built  and  with  the  tact  of  making  herself  most 
presentable  as  to  every  outline.  She  had 
fluffy  brownish  hair  and  it  hung  in  the  right 
way.  She  was  full  of  bust,  and  slender  of 
waist  and  broad  of  hip,  and  when  she  walked 
she  sprang.  Yet  she  was.  after  all,  1  thought 
at  first,  perhaps  just  the  commonplace,  beau 
tiful,  graceful  and  thoroughly  good  girl  of  the 
day,  only  more  highly  educated  and  broader 
of  mind  than  is  the  ordinarv  voting  woman. 


THE    LOVERS.  41 

She  must  have  been  an  appreciative  and 
understanding  woman  to  fall  in  love  with  Ap- 
pleton,  a  girl  who  could  see  through  a  rough 
rind  and  recognize  the  real  quality  of  the  man. 
The  fact  that  she  had  so  fallen  in  love  rather 
reconciled  me  to  her  before  I  met  her.  I 
said  to  myself.  "Here's  a  bright  woman." 
When  I  saw  her — and  she  was  not  long  in 
making  her  appearance — I  was  startled  be 
cause  she  was  so  beautiful  and  so  well  dressed, 
and  so  easily  adroit  and  discursive  of  speech 
that  I  could  not  at  first  quite  believe  in  the 
great  true  heart  of  her,  which  I  came  after 
wards  to  know  so  well. 

She  paid  little  or  no  attention  to  me.  She 
had  learned  from  Appleton  that  I  was  one  of 
the  things  to  be  relied  upon  in  the  course  of 
those  two  people  in  the  world,  but  aside  from 
that  I  was  nobody.  Bless  her  heart,  she 
stuck  to  him  as  the  bark  sticks  to  a  tree,  just 
as  any  woman  should  stick  to  a  man  with 
whom  she  has  made  the  stake,  and  I  was  noth 
ing  but  a  big  brother  from  the  beginning.  It 
did  not  make  any  difference  whether  I  had  a 
collar  on  or  not. 

The  only  thing  that  I  objected  to  was  that 
Helen  Daggart's  clothes  fitted  her  too  well. 


42  ARMAGEDDON. 

Those  tailor-made  suits  cost  money  and  she 
was  too  trig"  for  anything.  Furthermore,  she 

had  opinions.  Xo\v,  when  a  woman  prizes 
tailor-made  clothes  and  lias  opinions  as  well, 
it's  going  too  far.  Xo  woman  has  a  right  to 
have  tailor-made  clothes  and  opinions  too. 
The  strain  on  the  man  is  too  much.  lie  has 
to  donhly  admire. 

On  the  first  day  she  came  out  to  see  us  at 
the  big'  shanty  the  manner  in  which  she  made 
her  appearance  was  not  dignified.  She  drove 
out  of  town,  her  family  owning  a  coachman 
and  horses,  and,  there  having  been  rain  and 
the  alluvial  deposits  of  the  prairie  being  par 
ticularly  muddy  at  this  time  of  the  year,  the 
advance,  though  resolute  was,  to  put  it  mild 
ly,  something  more  of  a  wallow  than  a  rush. 
Hut  they  reached  us  eventually;  then  came 
a  conversation  between  the  two  lovers  which 
1  could  not  well  help  hearing.  She  was  talk 
ing  to  him  of  his  invention,  and  of  their  per 
sonal  affairs  and  all  that  sort  of  thing,  and 
I  want  to  say  here,  frankly,  that,  though  she 
didn't  know  the  difference  between  an  air 
pressure  and  a  hoc-handle  or  between  a 
piston  and  a  wheel-barrow,  yet  she  had,  in  her 
feminine  wav,  some  sort  of  the  judgment 


THE    LOVERS.  43 

which  is  not  always  just  at  hand  to  us  big 
brutes  of  males  who  pride  ourselves  upon  our 
logical  quality  which  sometimes  fails. 

Nevertheless,  she  was  mostly  wrong  and 
Appleton  was  mostly  right.  It  was  beautiful 
just  to  hear  them.  lie  would  explain  to  her 
the  peculiarities  of  his  invention  and,  in  tech 
nical  language,  demonstrate  to  her  that  it 
could  not  but  succeed,  and  she  would  listen  to 
him  patiently  and  smilingly,  as  a  woman  can 
do,  while  she  had  no  more  idea  of  what  he 
was  talking  about  than  a  kitten  has  of  the 
geology  of  the  Dog  Star.  Nevertheless,  each 
of  these  people  lived  for  the  other.  She  was  a 
very  interesting  study  for  me. 

They  talked  and  talked  and  the  end  of  it  all 
was  that,  because  he  was  so  absorbed  in  and 
determined  upon  what  he  should  do,  the  girl, 
who  was  worthy  of  him,  finally  encouraged  his 
resolutions,  and  applauded  his  work,  although 
she  still  murmured  something  of  her  wish  that 
he  could  be  "more  practical."  She  left  him 
more  reluctantly  than  it  seems  to  me  was 
necessary.  We  came  outside  the  big  rectan 
gular  building,  all  three  of  us  together,  and, 
before  that,  they  had  said  good-bye  to  each 
other.  Then,  just  as  we  three  were  standing 


44  ARMAGEDDON. 

ami  talking  and  par!  ing,  what  should  tliosc 
two  people  do  on  this  occasion  hut  contrive 
to  drift  away  t<  Aether  around  the  corner  of 
the  build::;:;"  where  1  could  not  see  them  and, 
1  suppose,  pari  again. 

Many  more  visits  Helen  made  that  summer, 
and  Applcton  fell  deeper  and  deeper  in  love. 

1  tell  you  he  was  subjugated,  i  don't  sup 
pose  I  need  explain  much  of  this  because  any 
one  who  has  anything  to  do  with  women,  and 
mo:-t  men  have,  knows  what  subjugation  is, 
sooner  or  later.  She  would  come  out  there 
so  trim  and  jaunty,  and  it  might  be  two  thou 
sand  and  ninety-five  decrees  in  the  shade,  and 
the  lace  rufile  around  her  white  throat 
wouldn't  have  any  remote  decree  of  limpness 
about  it.  As  for  Appleton  and  me,  we  would 
be  just  reeking  under  the  heat.  And — this 
is  but  a  simile — we  worked  so  hard  on  those 
hot  days  that,  just  from  the  perspiration,  I 
was  sloshy  in  my  shoes.  I  have  admitted  that 
I  am  availing  myself  of  poetic  license,  but  I 
retract.  It's  onlv  an  exaggeration  of  an  un 
pleasant  fact.  \Vell.  just  when  Appleton  and 
!  \\ere  that  way.  that  girl  would  come  out  in 
all  her  tailor-made-ness  or  still  more  distract 
ing  summer  dress  of  gossamer  and  lace,  and 


THE    LOVERS.  45 

be  as  cool  as  a  cucumber.  That  frost  and 
snow  ruflle  around  her  throat  irritated  me. 
No  matter  how  wilted  we  were  that  everlast 
ing  lace  thing  would  stand  up  there,  stiff  and 
immaculate. 

Well,  her  superiority  over  us  as  to  throat 
surroundings  is  but  a  fair  illustration  of  her 
superiority  in  other  ways.  Appleton,  dogged, 
resolute  man,  was,  in  her  hands,  apparently  as 
the  clay  which  can  be  squeezed  into  any  shape, 
and,  as  for  me,  out  of  regard  for  my  own 
safety,  I  kept  aside  as  much  as  possible.  I  was 
a  sort  of  clay  in  her  hands,  too.  A  little  stiff er 
clay  than  Appleton  was,  probably,  because  I 
wasn't  her  particular  clay — in  fact,  there  is 
another  girl  who  knows  a  good  deal  about 
kneading  herself — but  there  we  were,  under 
the  rule  of  this  creature  of  flesh  and  bones 
and  white  skin  and  fine  garb  and  diploma 
from  a  swagger  women's  college.  Appleton 
might  be  full  of  a  great  idea  about  some  lit 
tle  improvement  in  the  machine,  but  when 
that  blooming  tailor-made  suit  with  its  filling 
rose  up  against  the  horizon  we  were  gone. 
We  were  as  a  ship  is  when  there  comes  whirl 
ing  toward  it  a  great  water-spout  in  mid- 
ocean.  \Ye  were  as  a  caravan  of  the  desert 


4^>  A  R  MAC,  I'D  DON 

is  when  the  sirocco  looms  u]>  in  the  far  dis 
tance.  \Ve  were  as  the  Kansas  fanner  is  when 
the  cyclone  comes  twirling"  over  the  prairie 
and  he  knows  that  \\itiiin  the  next  five 
minutes  one  end  of  his  house  and  his  wife's 
cousin  and  his  two  best  mules  and  his  barn 
are  all  going  to  be  wafted  into  the  next  coun 
ty.  That's  what  \ve  were  when  that  girl  came. 
Yet,  we  were  glad  to  see  her  coming.  Kvery- 
thing  became  then  a  little  brighter  and  a  little 
better.  Men  arc'  weak  creatures. 

The  manner  of  their  love-making1  was  al 
ways  most  interesting  to  me.  Appleton  has 
a  sort  of  dominant  way  with  him,  but  there 
was  no  dominance  apparent  when  Miss  I  )ag- 
gart  and  he  were  together — at  least,  there  was 
no  dominance  on  his  side  of  the  house.  That 
charming  young  woman  simply  arose  and  was 
tall.  She  had  the  wisdom  of  the  college  and 
the  firmness  of  her  convictions.  She  was  in 
love  with  Appleton — there  was  no  doubt  of 
that — as  1  have  said,  something  in  his  queer 
character  had  appealed  to  her.  but  she  thought 
of  him  partlv.  I  believe,  a>  a  great  lump  of 
most  excellent  marble  to  be  >haped  into  a 
heroic  and  mo>t  symmetrical  figure  by  her 
own  fair  hands.  You  know  what  I  mean. 


THE    LOVERS.  47 

Lots  of  women — poor  things — take  fellows  to 
mold  'em  and  then  the  fellows  don't  mold, 
and  there  are  broken  hearts  sometimes;  but 
this  case  was  different. 

Helen  Daggart  was  the  only  child  of  Asaph 
Daggart,  a  man  of  substantial  fortune,  warm 
heart,  and  active  brain.  Appleton  liked  Mr. 
Daggart  and  admired  him,  but  we  both  re 
marked,  from  time  to  time,  that  it  seemed 
likely  that  Mr.  Daggart  did  not  return  in  very 
great  measure,  the  warm  admiration  of  the 
younger  man. 

Helen's  mother  was  a  woman  with  whom 
no  one  could  be  long  acquainted  without  a 
feeling  warmer  than  admiration.  I  no  sooner 
knew  her,  even  distantly,  than  I  wanted,  un 
selfishly,  her  friendship.  The  charming  old 
lady  and  her  husband  were  still  in  love  with 
each  other,  and  Helen  was  as  the  heart's  core 
of  each. 

Neither  father  nor  mother  ever  showed  dis 
pleasure  nor  dissent  at  the  affair  between  their 
daughter  and  Appleton.  One  or  the  other 
usually  accompanied  Helen  when  she  came  to 
our  prairie  quarters;  there  was  a  calm  and  ap 
parently  comfortable  acceptance  of  the  situa 
tion,  and  yet  Appleton  knew,  and  the  old 


48  ARMAGEDDON. 

couple  knew  that  he  kne\v,  that  they  were 
solidly  and  tirmlv  set  upon  in  some  way  break 
ing  np  tlie  love-match  which  seeme<l  to  be 
so  rapidly  forming'  under  their  eyes.  "Pins 
condition  of  affairs  <^ave  me  mueh  uneasiness, 
and  although  Appleton  never  spoke  of  it.  1 
eonld  see  that  it  was  by  no  means  out  of  his 
mind  as  a  subject  of  rather  painful  meditation. 
The  bother  of  it  was  that  the  opposition  was 
perfectly  unspoken,  the  hostility  bein^  of  an 
intangible  nature,  and  so  difficult  to  combat. 
There  was  trouble  m  store  for  the  lovers; 
J  could  see  that  from  the  first.  Helen's  par 
ents  could  not  object,  personally,  to  Apple- 
ton.  He  was  as  straight  of  i^rain  as  men  are 
made  and  showed  it  to  the  most  indifferent  ob 
server,  but  he  was  an  inventor,  a  seeker  after 
the  unknown  and  the  hitherto  impossible,  an 
adventurer  upon  the  shoreless  seas  of  material 
creation.  It  was  onlv  a  question  of  time  to 
the  imaLMtiatii  m  <  if  "s<  ilid  men"  when  he  would 
become  wild  of  eye.  lon_^  of  hair,  and  thread 
bare  of  coat.  A  settled  home  could  never  be 
his;  he  was  the  marked  victim  already  of  a 
fixed  idea.  Xo  placid  onlcrlv  familv  could 
contemplate  the  entrance  into  its  circle  of  this 


THE   LOVERS.  49 

figure,  with  any  moderate  degree  of  equa 
nimity. 

The  Daggarts  loved  Helen  with  absorbing 
parental  affection,  and,  here's  the  rub — she 
loved  them  devotedly  and  was  to  them, 
though  apparently  willful  of  way  and  inde 
pendent,  entirely  subject,  because  of  the  heart 
bond  between  them  all. 

Naturally,  in  the  visiting  back  and  forth,  it 
fell  often  to  my  lot  to  talk  to  Mrs.  Daggart, 
and,  less  often  to  Mr.  Daggart.  At  first  I  was 
mildly  interested  in  them  both,  but  soon  I 
grew  earnestly  so  in  my  effort  to  reach  their 
inner  consciousness,  and  discover  their  plans 
relating  to  Appleton  and  Helen. 

There  was  no  deep  strategy  in  them,  and 
I  soon  saw  what  their  really  wise  and  sensible 
plan  of  campaign  was.  Open  opposition,  they 
well  knew,  would  only  fan  the  flame  of  love. 
Patient  acquiescence,  gentle  endurance  of  the 
inevitable,  that  was  the  tone  they  adopted. 
Sooner  or  later,  the  wise  old  heads  reasoned, 
Appleton  would  fly  away  in  his  "kite,"  as  Mr. 
Daggart  called  the  machine,  and  there  was  no 
telling  what  mode  of  deliverance  would  then 
naturally  come  to  save  them  from  the  threat- 

4 


50  ARMAGEDDON. 

filed  family  alliance.  Appleton  might  sail 
across  the  ocean,  or  drop  into  it,  or  land,  limp 
and  ignominious,  even  dead,  perhaps,  upon 
the  roof  of  some  nearby  sky-scraper.  There 
was  certainly  room  for  speculation  and  hope 
of  a  good  riddance,  when  once  the  inventor 
should  go  away  on  his  cloud-racing  hobby. 
Then,  oh  then,  the  parents  thought,  then — 
"poor  Helen!"  lint  they  would  tend  the 
broken  lily,  and  bring  it  back  to  life,  and 
in  a  little  time  she  would  forget  Appleton  and 
fall  in  love  with  some  comfortable  and  well- 
balanced  person  not  unlike  Asaph  Daggart, 
marry  him,  and  be  happy  ever  after! 

This  was  the  scheme  of  the  parent  birds. 
After  I  divined  it  their  ill-concealed  nutter- 
ings,  their  friendly  visits  and  invitations,  their 
forced  interest  in  Appleton  and  his  invention, 
all  their  simple  ways  and  doings  became  as  an 
open  book  to  me.  1  said  nothing  to  Appleton, 
\\lio  suspected  nothing  but  was  simplv  puz 
zled,  as  is  the  manner  of  lovers,  over  the  wavs 
of  old  folk.  Appleton  felt  the  obstacle  they 
set  in  his  way.  and  yet  was  thrown  out  of  the 
straight  method  of  reasoning  by  their  very 
friendly  manner. 


THE    LOVERS.  51 

Helen  seemed  utterly  unconscious  of  all 
around  her  except  Appleton.  Whether  she 
was  or  not  must  forever  remain  a  question.  I 
could  not  read  the  mind  of  that  fair  young 
woman. 


52  ARMAGKDDOX. 


CHAPTER   V. 
IX   WHICH    I    DISTINGUISH    MYSELF. 

As  the  months  \vure  on  our  work  pro 
gressed,  and  I  became  gradually  acquainted 
with  some  of  the  practical  difficulties  in  Ap 
plet  on's  way.  I  soon  saw  that,  like  many 
other  inventions,  this  one  was  hampered  in  its 
complete  and  perfect  development  by  want 
of  money. 

"\Ye  must  always  take  second  or  third  be>t 
material."  said  Appleton  one  day,  after  an 
abject  faihire  in  an  experiment.  "That  is 
what  ails  the  machine  from  end  to  end.  I 
need  the  best  metal,  wood,  silk.  rope,  wire, 
everything — \Yentworth,  old  boy,  I've  done 
my  best,  bnt  I  need  more  money!" 

The  bi^r  man  sat  down  on  the  i^rass  with  a 
look  somewhat  drooping,  for  him.  bnt  after 
all  there  was  nut  a  line  of  real  discouragement 
in  his  face  <  *r  ti^'tire. 

\\  e  talked  for  a  loiiL,r  time,  going  over  the 
problems  in  hand  one  by  one.  and  when  tin- 
palaver  was  over  we  neither  of  us  knew  very 


I    DISTINGUISH    MYSELF.  53 

well  what  to  do,  but  we  had  resolved  that 
something  must  be  done,  and  at  once,  and  we 
were  sure  that  the  something  to  do  was  to 
make  an  effort  at  least  to  raise  a  reasonable 
sum  of  ready  money. 

Of  course  the  features  of  the  situation  were 
almost  pitiful.  Here  was  a  man  of  great  brain 
seeking  to  do  something  which  should  be  not 
for  his  own  advantage  alone  but  for  the  good 
of  the  world,  yet  hampered  and  barred  from 
accomplishment  for  lack  of  money.  Off  to 
the  east  of  us  loomed  darkly  a  cloud  upon  the 
horizon.  That  was  the  smoke  hanging  above 
Chicago.  Underneath  that  smoke,  among 
the  two  or  three  millions  of  people,  were  two 
or  three  hundred  vastly  successful  money 
makers,  men  who  had  possession  of  millions 
of  dollars  and  any  one  of  whom,  without  em 
barrassment,  could  carry  Appleton  through 
to  at  least  an  ultimate  test  of  the  result  of 
all  his  thinking.  There  was  but  one  course 
to  be  pursued  now.  Some  of  these  men  must 
be  reached,  and  I,  of  course,  was  the  one  to 
reach  them. 

There  is  no  necessity  for  going  over  in  de 
tail  what  happened  within  the  next  three  or 
four  days.  I  selected  eight  or  ten  of  the  most 


54 

promising  of  those  who  had  made  vast  for 
tunes  in  railroads  or  lard  or  \vheat  or  oil  or 
corsets  and  stockings  .and  things,  or  horses, 
and  1  was  snnM>ed  three-fourths  of  the  time 
with  much  vigor  1>ut  great  clumsiness  l>y  the 
capitalists  upon  whom  I  called.  1  kept  get 
ting  more  and  more  indignant  and  more  de 
termined. 

I  got  to  he  mightily  honey-tongned.  I 
would  go  into  the  ante-room  of  a  capitalist's 
office  and,  as  I  walked  along  the  corridor,  a 
little  wohhly  as  to  my  legs  and  a  little  shaky 
as  to  what  the  result  of  the  encounter  would 
he,  I  would  say  to  myself:  "Well,  after  all, 
why  shouldn't  you  override  this  other  tellow.J 
lie  is  your  equal  neither  socially  nor  intellect- 
nail}-,  and  if  some  one  were  to  tell  him  that 
Sam  Weller  was  uncle  to  Paul  and  Virginia  he 
would  helieve  it.  simply  hecause  he  had  never 
heard  of  any  of  the  three.  Xow.  1  trace  your 
self  up  and  he  a  man  when  you  go  in." 

Then  I  would  reach  an  ante-room  and  meet 
a  hoy  and  finally  get  into  the  next  room  where 
I  was  confronted,  almost  uniformly,  hv  a  clerk 
of  ahout  forty-five  years,  \\ith  a  clean-shaven 
face  except  for  a  tuft  of  side-whiskers  dang- 


I    DISTINGUISH    MYSELF.  55 

It's  odd,  isn't  it,  how  those  ante-room  clerks 
always  have  that  thing  below  and  in  front  of 
the  ears?  and  I  want  to  say  of  all  of  them, 
and  I  suppose  they  knew  their  business,  that 
each  of  them  on  every  occasion  which  I  can 
call  to  mind,  treated  me  as  if  I  were  an  angle 
worm  and  as  if  it  were  a  favor  that  I  should 
be  allowed  to  go  in  and  have  converse  with 
his  old  millionaire,  whose  trousers  generally 
bulged  below  the  waistline  and  whom  I  could 
have  thrashed  in  a  minute  and  a  half  if  I  could 
have  persuaded  him  to  go  out  into  the  alley 
way  with  me. 

Well,  I  saw  millionaire  after  millionaire  and 
stood  so  much  snubbing  that  it  seemed  to  me 
I  had  attained  a  callous  on  my  manhood,  but, 
eventually,  out  of  all  the  lot  of  the  successful 
business  men  I  could  reach,  I  had  three  more 
or  less  hypnotized.  Talk  about  kissing  the 
Blarney  Stone!  Why  I  would  have  tried  to 
kiss  every  paving  block  in  Chicago  and  to  do 
it  on  my  hands  and  knees  if  I  had  thought 
it  would  have  helped  me!  Even  now  I'm 
proud  of  what  I  did.  Not  only  did  I  impress 
those  old  money-bags  separately,  but  I  got 
them  in  communication  and  got  them  all 
figuring  together  and  on  one  eventful  after- 


56  ARMAGH DDt  >X. 

noon  we  drove  out,  the  three  ami  I,  all  in 
one  carriage,  to  meet  Appleton.  to  examine 
the  new  venture  and  to  decide  upon  how 
much  they  would  invest. 

It  was  just  a  beautiful  thing  to  look  upon 
as  we  four  drove  up  in  the  big  carriage,  for 
which,  by  the  way.  I  had  paid — millionaires 
arc  exceedingly  thoughtful  with  regard  to  the 
dollar  or  so  payments  of  life — and  then  to 
see  Appleton  and  Leander  awaiting  us  out 
side  the  building. 

I  noticed  with  a  degree  of  surprise  that  Ap 
pleton  had  dressed  for  the  occasion.  1  do 
not  think  he  had  gone  so  far  as  to  change  his 
shirt;  it  was  the  same  flannel  shirt  which  he 
had  worn  in  the  morning  and,  furthermore,  it 
was  a  shirt  with  a  transferable  collar,  that  is 
to  say  a  shirt  on  which  the  collar  could  be 
changed.  He  had  not  worn  a  collar  of  late, 
but  now  he  had  one  on.  I  don't  know  where 
he  got  it,  but  it  was  a  linen  collar  and  one  of 
the  highest  1  ever  saw;  furthermore,  he  had 
around  it  a  tie.  It  was  a  brilliant  thing  but 
narrow;  it  was  what  I  think  they  call  a  "string 
tie."  and  he  had  tied  it  very  well  indeed.  Its 
general  effect  would  perhaps  have  been  a  little 
better  had  he  pinned  it  somewhere  after  first 


I    DISTINGUISH    MYSELF.  57 

tying  it,  and  had  the  bow,  when  we  drove  up, 
been  somewhere  else  than  in  such  precise 
exactness  under  his  left  ear.  I  would  like  to 
write  a  treatise  upon  the  question  why  neck 
ties  have  such  astounding  tendencies  toward 
the  left  side  of  their  wearer's  neck.  However, 
to  exhaust  that  subject  would  require  a  new 
and  bulky  volume. 

But,  though  fine  the  appearance  of  Apple- 
ton,  it  was  as  nothing  compared  with  that  of 
his  subordinate,  Mr.  Leander  O'Brien.  The 
faithful  but  somewhat  tough  O'Brien  evident 
ly  recognizing  the  importance  of  the,  occasion, 
had  simply  ''laid  himself  out''  to  meet  the 
emergency.  I  had  never  before  realized  the 
resources  of  the  ready-made  clothing  "Em 
poriums"  of  South  Halstecl  Street.  I  think  I 
am  only  using  the  most  truthful  simile  I  can 
think  of  when  I  say  that  Leander  was  a  jewel. 
He  shone;  he  scintillated.  His  suit  was  what 
is  known  as  a  "sack"  and  fitted  him  tightly. 
The  plaid  of  coat,  pants  (I  say  "pants"  ad 
visedly)  and  vest  fitted  him  perfectly.  I  have 
never  had  the  exact  measurement,  but  as 
nearly  as  I  can  tell  at  this  time  and  only  from 
memory,  each  square  of  the  plaid  was,  say 
somewhere  about  three-quarters  of  an  inch  on 


?S  AR.M.UiKDDOX. 

a  side,  and  the  color  was  bull-dog  and  white. 
Of  course  there  isn't  really  any  such  color  as 
bull-dog,  but  you  know  what  I  mean.  It's 
that  sort  of  growling  color  that  they  get  into 
plaids  sometimes,  apparently  for  the  delecta 
tion  of  just  such  fellows  as  O'l'rien.  lie  had 
a  high  white  collar  on.  too,  and  he  had  a  tie 
as  well, but  it  was  about  nineteen  times  as  large 
as  the  one  worn  by  Appleton  and  it  meant 
business.  It  was  scarlet.  1  needn't  say  any 
thing  more  about  it.  Ilis  hat  was — one  of 
O'llricn's  hats — an  ordinary  1  )erby  as  to  size; 
it  had  the  most  startling  straight-out  rim  I've 
ever  seen  in  my  life,  but  that  does  not  describe 
it.  I  can  only  say.  it  was  one  of  those  hats 
which  we  had  learned  to  recognize  as  pecu 
liar  to  Leander  (  )'  I  >rien. 

His  boots  were  polished  to  the  highest  de 
gree;  he  had  brought  some  fancy  blacking  in 
from  town.  He  stood  four  or  five  feet  behind 
Appleton  with  Fit/  glooming  in  the  rear  as 
we  drove  up  and,  while  Appleton  looked 
abashed  and  anxious,  there  wa>  nothing  of  the 
sort  in  the  appearance  of  ( )T>rien.  There  was 
a  jaunt}'  swing  to  the  fellow  as  he  lounged 
between  Appleton  and  the  building,  his  great 
shoulders  distending  tiHitlv  the  coat  of  his 


1    DISTINGUISH    MYSELF.  59 

checked  suit,  and  there  was  a  look  in  his 
broad,  Irish-American  face  that  showed  there 
was  fight  and  faithfulness  in  him,  and  fight  and 
faithfulness  are  just  as  good  when  they  come 
from  South  Halsted  Street  as  when  they  come 
from  any  university  in  the  world. 

Meanwhile  I  was  all  anxiety  and  full  of  di 
plomacy.  I  got  out  my  capitalists  and  intro 
duced  Appleton,  who  was  hesitant  and 
troubled,  and  we  all  went  in  together  to  look 
at  the  air  machine  and  to  have  Appleton  ex 
plain  it  and  tell  us  about  its  possibilities  and 
its  monetary  promise.  We  were  like  a  couple 
of  poor  tugs  convoying  three  great  galleons, 
and  it  is  but  truth  to  say  that  we  felt  we  were 
tugs  and  they  felt  that  they  were  galleons. 

It's  funny  about  the  men  who  are  between 
fifty  and  sixty  years  of  age  and  who  have  be 
come  millionaires — I  mean  it's  funny  about 
most  of  them — each  seems  to  range  himself 
into  one  of  three  classes.  Here  are  the  three 
sorts  of  millionaires:  First,  and  I  think  he's 
rather  preponderant,  there  is  the  man  with 
side-whiskers  and  protuberant  jaw  and  heavy 
eyebrows  and  commercially  dominant  air. 
Second,  there  is  the  man — I  forgot  to  say  that 
the  first  is  always  bald  about  three  inches 


60  AKMAGKDDOX. 

across  on  the  top  of  his  head — second,  there 
is  the  man  with  plenty  of  hair,  a  man  who 
weighs  about  one  hundred  fiftv-sevcn  pounds 
and  a  half,  who  always  wears  full  whiskers  and 
shaves  his  upper  lip,  who  is  liable  to  be  a 
Sunday  school  superintendent  as  well  as  a 
bank  president,  and  who,  take  it  all  around, 
is  pretty  bad  medicine.  Third,  there  is  the 
big  round-bellied,  red-faced,  double-chinned, 
keen-eyed,  well-dressed  speculator  and  club 
man,  who  bobs  up,  waning  and  waxing,  one 
out  of  a  thousand,  an  unfixed  millionaire, 
answering  to  the  law  of  chances  of  the  dice 
among  his  sort.  Of  the  three,  of  course,  the 
latter,  despite  his  frailties,  is  the  one  to  wlmm 
a  gentleman  would  most  incline.  In  fact,  this 
latter  sort  of  millionaire  is  quite  likely  to  be 
a  gentleman  himself. 

Well,  as  I  have  said,  we  five  went  in  to 
gether.  Klihu  Hammond.  Jacob  Arnheim  and 
William  Tuttle.  Appleton  taking  the  lead,  and 
1  anxiously  following. 

Leander  O' linen  lounged  watchfully  and.  it 
seemed  to  me.  almost  threateningly,  in  the 
rear.  Certainly,  as  we  walked  along  toward 
where  the  air  machine  hung,  nothing  had  yet 
occurred  to  mar  the  peaceful  and  commercial 


I    DISTINGUISH    MYSELF.  6l 

aspect  of  the  occasion,  but  it  was  evident  that 
O'Brien  was  alert  and  critical  of  all  that  was 
going-  on. 

Four  long  hours  passed,  four  hours  that  I 
shall  remember  always  with  a  feeling  partly  of 
rage  and  indignation,  partly  of  allowance  for 
the  quality  of  mind  which  is  expert  at  pence- 
getting  and  keeping,  and  which,  in  peace 
times,  gives  a  standing  above  greatness  to 
the  man  who  can  make  two  dollars  take  the 
place  of  one.  As  we  talked  together,  my  own 
work  was  introductory  and  general.  It  was 
necessary  that  Appleton  should  do  the  rest, 
and  I  must  say  that  he  did  it  well.  I  must 
say,  further,  of  the  men  to  whom  he  talked, 
that  perhaps  no  other  three  men  reachable 
could  have  listened  more  intelligently  to  what 
he  said,  could  have  appreciated  more  keenly 
his  summing  up  of  the  vast  possibilities  of  his 
invention,  should  it  succeed,  or  his  estimate 
of  his  chances  of  success.  It  is  only  fair  to  say 
this,  but  my  blood  boiled  within  me  through 
out  all  the  interview.  There  was  something 
so  lofty  and  so  patronizing  in  the  demeanor 
of  the  millionaires  toward  us  that  my  mood, 
near  the  end  of  the  interview,  was  not  a  good 
ly  nor  a  gentle  one.  Appleton  became  earnest 


62  ARMAGF.DDOX. 

and  eloquent  and  was  clear  and  concise  from 
start  to  finish,  but  his  talk  and  demonstration 
diil  not  appeal  to  either  one  of  these  three 
money-makers.  I  do  not  think  that  . \ppleton, 
himself,  quite  understood  the  failure  of  his 
effort.  Tie  was  too  earnest  and  absorbed,  too 
certain  that  anybody  who  would  but  listen  to 
him  and  hear  all  the  facts  presented  must 
agree  with  him.  but  I  could  see  that  the  blows 
of  the  blacksmith's  hammer  were  falling  upon 
cold  metal:  even  ()T>rien  in  his  own  way 
could  see  that.  Toward  the  end  of  the  con 
versation  I  saw  his  shoulders  shift  ominously 
once  or  twice,  and  he  looked  at  me  question- 
ingly.  It  was  all  uncertain  and  he  was  obedi 
ent,  but  in  that  glance  of  his  to  me  there  was 
a  query  as  to  whether  there  wasn't  a  remote 
chance  of  having  some  sort  of  an  excuse  for 
licking  somebody,  somewhere. 

I  wonder  if  there  is  anything  anarchistic  in 
me?  Is  it  right  or  wrong  in  me  that  there 
should  be  in  my  own  mind  a  sort  of  antago 
nism  against  the  smug  man  who  had  made  a 
lot  of  money  and  who  thinks,  because  of  that, 
he  knows  all  there  is  to  know;5  T  am  afraid 
that,  down  in  the  bottom  of  my  heart,  I  felt 
a  good  deal  as  felt  my  deep-chested  and  short- 


I    DISTINGUISH    MYSELF.  63 

haired  and  loudly-plaided  friend,  Leander, 
who  was  hovering  behind  with  that  too  sus 
picious  closeness.  Appleton,  poor  boy,  had 
made  every  preparation  he  could  for  a  good 
showing  off  of  our  blazing  old  invention. 
Evidently  Leander  O'Brien  had  been  hard  at 
work.  The  aluminum  was  polished  and  the 
thing  stood  there,  rather  attractive  in  its  way, 
like  a  vast,  glittering,  almost  white  cigar. 
Every  expedient  had  been  resorted  to,  to 
make  apparent  to  the  laymen  the  nature  and 
workings  of  the  machinery  intended  to  oper 
ate  the  craft.  The  mechanism  was  all  so  ad 
justed  that  it  could  be  worked  and  handled 
easily;  and  so  Appleton  went  on  with  his 
talk,  explaining,  illustrating,  arguing. 

Once  involved  in  the  work  of  setting  forth 
the  nature  of  his  invention  and  the  work  of 
any  part  of  his  machinery,  Appleton  forgot 
his  timidity  and  became  enthusiastic  and  prac 
tical  and  clearly  eloquent.  I  forgot  myself  in 
listening  to  him.  I  admired  him.  I  saw  the 
possibilities  of  the  thing  as  I  never  had  seen 
them  before;  but  did  the  talk,  even  as  he 
warmed,  have  the  same  effect  on  the  three  old 
capitalists?  Not  a  bit  of  it.  They  stood  there 
and  asked  an  occasional  question  and  looked 


64  ARMAGKDDOX. 

at  each  otlicr  and  once  in  a  while,  nodded  or 
shook  their  heads  as  the  talk  went  on,  and 
when  it  was  all  through  with  and  Appleton 
looked  at  them,  it  seemed  to  me  appealingly, 
awaiting  some  comment,  old  Mr.  Arnheim 
looked  up: 

"What  do  yon  think  about  it?"  he  said,  his 
question  being  addressed  to  his  companions. 

''Oh,  there  may  be  something  in  it — I  don't 
know — but  I  don't  see  any  immediate  money." 
said  Mr.  Tnttle.  yawning.  "It's  one  of  the 
dream  things  of  men  of  this  sort.  \Yhat  do 
you  think  of  it,  Hammond?" 

Mr.  Hammond's  red  face  was  inscrutable 
and  he  spoke  slowly.  "Well,  I  suppose  you're 
right.  Bill — I  don't  know — I've  a  sneaking 
liking  for  the  thing.  However,  since  we've 
agreed  to  work  together  or  not  at  all,  I'll  have 
to  side  with  you.  I'm  afraid,  Mr.  Appleton, 
that  we  can't  go  into  the  thing:  Good-after 
noon."  As  he  spoke,  Mr.  Hammond  started 
for  the  door,  the  others  following  him,  but  be 
fore  he  reached  the  outside  he  hesitated, 
looked  around  and  seemed  half  way  inclined 
to  come  back.  He  didn't  come,  though,  and 
it  is  a  source,  at  this  present  time,  of  great 
comfort  to  me  that  he  didn't.  It  isn't  exactly 


I    DISTINGUISH    MYSELF.  65 

clear  to  me  how  men  can  kick  themselves  be 
cause  of  failure  to  do  what  they  ought  to  have 
done  at  some  certain  time,  but  I'll  venture  to 
say  that  Mr.  Hammond  has  been  engaged  in 
that  occupation  at  frequent  and  long  con 
tinued  intervals  within  the  last  year.  I  will 
even  go  so  far  as  to  wager  that  he  is  at  it 
yet.  He  was  the  keenest  of  wit  of  the  three. 
So  they  passed  out  into  the  sunlight  and 
climbed,  ponderously  content,  into  their  car 
riage  and  gradually  diminished  toward  the 
east,  where  the  smoke  hung.  Appleton  said 
nothing  and  I  said  nothing,  and  O'Brien, 
while  giving  signs  of  saying  something, 
didn't.  We  emerged  into  the  sunlight  to 
gether  and  stood  there  silently  looking  at  the 
disappearing  carriage. 

As  for  me,  my  gorge  rose.  I  am  unfamiliar 
with  a  gorge,  how  and  why  it  rises,  or  any 
thing  in  particular  about  a  gorge — I  was  al 
ways  weak  in  Anatomy — but  if  getting  ''mad 
clear  through"  and  getting  suddenly  earnest 
and  angrily  enthusiastic  means  that  a  gorge 
has  performed  that  particular  exploit  of  rising, 
then  my  gorge  had  risen  until  it  was  stopped 
by  plain  want  of  room.  Appleton's  face  was 
pitiful  to  look  upon.  He  never  lacked  pluck, 


66  ARMAGEDDON. 

but  there  \vns  a  sort  of  blankness  and  some 
thing  at  least  reminding  one  of  hopelessness 
in  his  expression  that  stirred  me  in  every  fiber 
of  my  behiL;'.  I  thought  very  rapidly  just  then 
and,  I  am  Ldad  to  say,  thought  very  sensibly. 
Sometimes  when  a  fel!o\v  is  in  a  flaming  mood 
he  does  some  of  his  best  thinking,  that  is,  Ins 
conceptions  are  snddenlv  clearer.  I  suppose 
it's  the  same  way  when  lie  has  taken  three  or 
tour  drinks,  the  lapse  bein^  in  the  latter  case 
that  there  is  no  practical  carrying  out  of  in 
tentions.  Anyhow.  I  had  my  say  and  it  has 
been  ^ood  for  me  that  I  said  it. 

I  drew  close  to  Applcton  and  spoke: 
"As  near  as  1  can  jnd^'e,  Applcton,  I  am  the 
possessor  of  somewhere  between  twelve  and 
fifteen  thousand  dollars  of  assets  which  can  be 
realized  upon  at  once.  I  am  s^'oiii!^  to  have 
those  dollars  within  my  possession  within  the 
next  twenty-four  hours,  and  1  want  to  inform 
you  seriously,  calmly  and  confidentially,  that 
they  are  gcin^  into  your  invention." 

The  old  boy  didn't  >ay  anything  at  all.  lie 
looked  at  me  for  a  moment  in  a  dazed  sort  of 
way  and  then,  as  the  quality  of  the  situation 
dawned  upon  him.  he  shook  hands  with  me; 
then  I  didn't  like  the  look  of  his  eves.  Should 


I    DISTINGUISH    MYSELF.  67 

a  man  over  twenty-one  ever  have  tears  in  his 
eyes?  I  wouldn't  give  a  cent  for  a  man  who 
couldn't.  Then  he  turned  and  went  in  alone 
to  his  invention.  As  for  O'Brien,  he  walked 
up  to  me  and  looked  me  in  the  face  and  swung" 
his  shoulders  as  usual  and  remarked  in  a  casual 
South  Halsted  Street  sort  of  way:  "That's 
the  stuff!"  Then  he  stalked  off  toward  the 
stable  to  feed  the  horses  and  as  he  turned  the 
corner  the  loud  plaid  upon  him  cracked.  I 
could  hear  it  distinctly.  Anyhow,  it  seemed 
to. 

That  night,  as  we  were  finishing  our  cigars 
on  the  crazy  little  porch — we  had  been  dedi 
cating  a  few  last  words  to  the  late  visitors — 
I  exclaimed  as  a  kind  of  conclusion  to  the 
whole  subject  matter: 

"Gold  rules  the  camp,  the  court,  the  grove!" 
"And  it  is  likely  to  turn  out,"  said  Apple- 
ton  quietly,  not  smiling  over  my  garbled  ver 
sion  of  the  poet's  line,  but  looking  at  me  with 
fire  in  his  eyes,  "that  Beauty  will  give  us  the 
same  verdict  as  has  that  jury  of  money-bags." 
"What  do  you  mean,  Appleton?" 
But  he  would  say  no  more.    I  guessed  what 
he  meant,  and  remained  silent. 


68  ARMAGEDDON. 


CIIAPTKK    VI. 
\YK    MAKE    PROGRESS. 

\\'c  had  as  helpers  four  tall,  raw-boned 
Swedes,  the  sons  oi  C)le  Swanson,  who  tilled 
his  twenty  acres  of  farm  land  a  half  mile  south 
west  of  us.  The  stalwart  sons  of  Swanson 
were  sometimes  reinforced  by  his  not  less 
stalwart  daughter  who.  added  to  her  great 
strength  and  stature,  possessed  a  more  shrewd 
intellect  than  her  brothers,  as  well  as  a  shrill, 
penetrating  voice  which  could  be  heard  from 
an  astonishing  distance. 

The  Swanson  sons  were  ideal  for  our  work, 
for  they  had  neither  interest  in  nor  curiosity 
about  it.  They  bent  their  backs,  and  rounded 
their  great  shoulders  for  us  whenever  they 
were  needed,  and  then  went  their  way  without 
thought  or  comment. 

Xothing  surprised  or  disconcerted  these 
unemotional  Swedes.  A  fall  of  twenty  feet, 
a  scrubbing  over  the  fields  at  the  end  of  a  rope 
attached  to  the  reeling,  tumbling  machine,  or 
a  sudden  jerk  at  any  time,  from  any  source, 


WE   MAKE   PROGRESS.  69 

all  these  experiences  \vere  received  as  a  part 
of  the  regular  clay's  work,  to  be  paid  for  by  the 
regular  day's  wages,  and  nothing  to  be  said 
about  them. 

Leda,  the  Amazon,  was  more  human  in  con 
struction  and  more  than  once  Old  Ole  Swan- 
son  had  to  give  her  a  stern  lecture  impressing 
the  importance  of  silence  and  secrecy  as  to 
our  affairs.  Her  chief  temptation  was  in  con 
nection  with  a  certain  Christian  Frederickson, 
who,  in  his  Sunday  clothes,  broad  and  red  o( 
visage  and  hands,  came  to  see  her  regularly 
twice  a  week  after  his  day's  work  was  over  in 
the  railway  machine  shop,  some  miles  away, 
where  he  was  employed. 

Frederickson  was  a  Norwegian.  In  his 
eyes  there  sparkled  the  light  of  an  inquiring 
spirit,  and  he  was,  although  heavily  framed, 
active  and  even  light  in  his  movements. 
AYhen  Leda  brought  him  on  an  evening  walk 
toward  our  quarters  the  pair  usually  stopped 
at  a  respectful  distance  beside  a  clover  field, 
where,  leaning  upon  the  fence,  they  looked 
long  and  searching!}*  at  our  buildings  and 
their  surroundings. 

Toward  the  end  of  our  labors  on  the  prairie, 
when  we  were  experimenting  at  night — all 


7(i  ARMAGEDDON. 

of  our  real  work  of  that  kind  had  to  be  done 
after  dark — \vc  could  hear,  far  over  the  fields, 
the  strident  tones  of  Lcda's  voice  rising  and 
falling  in  the  pecttliar  sing-song  of  her  people, 
even  \\hen  they  speak  Knglish.  as  she  talked 
to  Frederickson,  and  occasionally  \ve  noted 
his  deeper  and  yet  thin  harsh  tones  and  we 
knew  that  the  couple  were  following  our 
movements,  stumbling  and  running  along 
over  the  uneven  ground,  while  we  sailed  and 
dipped  arid  slanted  uncertainly  around  in  the 
It  i\\  er  fields  of  air. 

The  frank  interest  of  these  lovers  in  us  was 
far  from  pleasing,  as  it  was,  of  course,  essen 
tial  to  our  success  that  little  attention  should 
be  paid  to  our  venture  by  the  outer  world. 
Kspccially  indignant  at  the  display  of  natural 
curiosity  on  the  part  of  the  fair  l.eda  and  her 
swain  was  Leander  OT>rien.  With  the  natural 
gallantry  of  his  race,  to  no  member  of  which 
a  petticoat  can  ever  be  indifferent,  O'Hrien 
had  not  failed  to  try  to  make  himself  agreeable 
to  <  )le  Swanson's  daughter,  and  with  such 
success  that  she  blushed  and  bridled  whenever 
she  met  that  gallant  young  bachelor,  but  all 
other  manifestations  showed  that  her  heart 


WE   MAKE   PROGRESS.  71 

was  fixed  on  one  alone  and  that  one,  Fred- 
erickson. 

In  time,  the  Norwegian  became  one  of  our 
helpers  at  night,  and  a  valuable  aid  he  proved, 
quick,  alert  and  obedient,  but  he  and  O'Brien, 
however  well  they  worked  together,  were  al 
ways  when  at  rest,  chafing  and  glowering  at 
each  other.  The  trouble  never  reached  the 
fighting  stage,  though,  for,  in  reality,  O'Brien 
cared  nothing  for  Frederickson's  sweetheart, 
it  was  only  the  galling  fact  that  any  young 
woman  could  for  a  moment  look  at  any  other 
fellow  when  he,  Leander  O'Brien,  was  present 
which  rufiled  his  temper  and  at  times  embit 
tered  an  hour  or  two  of  his  careless  existence. 

There  were  times  when  we  thought  that 
Frederickson  would  make  exactly  the  third 
hand  we  needed  when  our  machine  should  go 
out  in  the  world  at  last  for  actual  work,  but 
in  the  end  we  decided  upon  O'Brien  for  that 
place,  as,  aside  from  every  other  consideration, 
Frcderickson  was  too  great  of  weight  and 
then,  before  long,  something  happened  which 
convinced  us  that  O'Brien  was  too  useful, 
faithful  and  devoted  to  be  dropped  from  our 
service  for  any  reason. 

It  was  good  to  study  the  relations  of  na- 


72  ARMAGEDDON. 

t tire's  wild  things  \vith  each  other,  and  it  \vas 
a  sort  of  laxation  in  contrast  with  the  work 
on  the  man-killing  machine  with  which  I.  had 
become  identified.  J  often  wandered  away 
alone  and  lay  close  to  the  ground,  so  to  speak, 
becoming  a  part  as  nearly  as  I  could  of  the 
romances  and  the  comedies  and  the  tragedies 
of  the  life  of  the  grass.  One  day  I  especially 
remember,  and  an  incident  of  it.  The  country 
road  lay  white  and  bare  and  dusty,  but  dipped 
down  into  the  creek  and  then  rose  again  up 
the  bank  on  the  other  side  to  straggle  away 
to  the  village  it  was  seeking.  The  creek  had 
a  certain  lustiness,  and  there  was  water  in  it 
even  in  midsummer.  There  were  many  frogs 
along  the  margin  who  rather  prided  them 
selves  on  their  vocal  accomplishments  and 
sang  much  at  night.  There  were  also  snakes 
in  the  grass  about.  Of  these  we  never  spoke 
to  Helen;  it  might  have  caused  us  to  lose  our 
much  prized  walks  with  her  through  the 
quiet  country,  toward  sundown  on  summer 
days. 

I  heard — I  hardly  know  what  to  call  it — 
a  queer  sort  of  squeak  and  tumble  along  the 
road  which  led  away  from  the  place  where  I 
was  lying  in  front  of  the  old  barrack,  and 


WE    MAKE    PROGRESS.  73 

then  1  saw  something  very  fine.  Down  the 
slope  of  the  descent  toward  the  creek  came  a 
frog  gasping,  poor  thing,  \vith  each  leap,  and 
leaping  about  seven  feet  at  a  time.  He  sought 
the  water,  and  death  was  behind  him.  Swiftly 
and  steadily,  keeping  pace  almost  with  his 
desperate  leaps,  came  the  ordinary  garter 
snake,  most  familiar  of  all  the  snakes  of  the 
country.  Neither  frog  nor  snake  noticed  me, 
although  I  ran  out  and  along  beside  them,  so 
deeply  interested  were  they,  the  one  seeking 
the  chance  of  life  and  the  other  seeking  prey. 
As  for  me,  I  felt,  as  I  trotted  along,  a  curious 
interest  in  noting  the  manner  of  the  trail,  the 
quality  of  the  convolution  of  it  left  by  the 
snake  upon  the  white  dust  of  the  road.  So 
far  as  emotions  go  I  don't  think  they  were 
aroused  in  me  at  all  until,  just  as  the  frog  had 
almost  reached  the  creek  in  safety,  the  snake 
seized  upon  it  by  one  of  its  hind  legs  and  with 
drew  itself  into  its  own  coils  contentedly  to 
gorge  its  prey  at  leisure;  then  came  the  blow 
across  the  snake  with  something  picked  up  at 
hand  and  its  almost  instant  death,  while  the 
frog  floundered  weakly  to  the  water  and  swam 
to  safety  beneath  the  overlapping  reeds. 
Somehow7  the  incident  gave  me  courage. 


74  ARMAGEDDON. 

"We'll  docile  our  difficulties  yet,"  I  thought. 

P>ut  I  am  wandering  away  again,  just  as  I 
used  to.  from  our  work,  and  its  story. 

It  is  hard  to  tell  in  detail  how  the  machine 
was  improving1.  Firstly,  because — save  in  a 
purely  objective  way — I  made  slight  study  of 
the  scientific  details  of  it,  and  secondly,  be 
cause  no  matter  how  hard  mv  decree  of  study, 
lacking  as  1  am  in  all  abilitv  in  such  direction, 
I  could  not  tell  with  any  decree  of  clearness 
that  would  appeal  to  an  expert  just  what  the 
improvements  were.  I  cannot  tell  how,  with 
his  liquified  or  compressed  air.  whichever  it 
was  that  Applelon  utilixed.  we  got  more  and 
more  of  propelling  power  with  slight  weight, 
nor  can  I  tell  as  an  expert  could  about  the 
steering  apparatus,  save  that  the  propulsion 
eventually  became  tremendous  and  the  power 
of  direction  at  least  respectable.  \Ve  rose  and 
fluttered  and  swerved,  but  ever  with  each 
slight  ascension — for  we  never  ventured  far — - 
we  did  a  little  better. either  in  the  qualitx  of  the 
force  applied  or  in  the  working  of  some  gear 
ing  or  some  bearing.  It  was  fascinating  to 
me.  this  exploration  of  the  air  depths  but  it 
was  so,  largely  as  it  is  fascinating  to  a  small 
boy  to  see  how  far  he  can  go  into  a  grave- 


WE   MAKE   PROGRESS.  75 

yard  of  a  dark  night.  I  went  up  with  Apple- 
ton  in  that  speculative  thing  in  the  darkness 
and  in  close  sympathy  with  Leander  O'Brien, 
who  I  firmly  believe  was  as  much  scared  as  I 
was.  Once  "upstairs,"  as  Leander  put  it,  w7e 
two,  though  lacking  the  inventor's  uncon 
scious  bravery,  became  somewhat  brave  our 
selves,  and,  acquiring  in  a  measure  the  calm 
ness  of  utter  hopelessness,  performed  our  re 
spective  duties  with  some  degree  of  intelli 
gence  and  tact.  Never,  though,  did  Leander 
and  I  become  really  and  thoughtfully  coura 
geous.  We  were  but  as  the  driftwood  which 
thinks  not  at  all  but  obeys  the  direction  of  a 
controlling  current.  Yet  it  may  be  fairly  said 
of  us  that  we  did  our  best.  One  night  Leander 
O'Brien  did  something  which  bound  him  to 
us  with  more  than  the  conventional  bands  of 
steel  and  which  settled  forever  the  question  as 
to  who  in  all  future  operations  of  our  venture 
should  be  our  henchman,  helpmeet  and  friend. 
We  had  risen  higher  than  usual  that  night, 
which  was  a  dark  one,  and  Appleton  was  in 
blithesome  mood  because  some  new  gearing 
of  his  had  worked  so  well  and  because  in  his 
own  vaulting  opinion  he  just  then  owned  the 
world.  I  was  somewhat  elated  mvself  because 


/f>  ARMAGEDDON. 

we  had  gone  up  fairlv  and  scjuarcly  and  with 
a  little  less  than  the  usual  amount  of  sonie- 
thing-is-g'oing;-to-happen  feeling.  AYe  were  at 
least  five  hundred  feet  above  the  earth,  and, 
for  (Mice,  were  really  facing  a  moderate  north- 
cast  wind  and  holding  ourselves  in  position. 
To  the  east,  from  our  ahitude.  T  could  see 
twinkling  bravely  and  boldlv  the  lights  of  the 
city  of  Chicago  and.,  though  in  our  boat  we 
seemed  to  be  a  little  better  off  than  usual, 
there  occurred  to  me  the  lines  of  that  poet 
who  wrote  something  about  the  "Cruel  lights 
of  London."  and  I  said  to  mvself.  "Oh,  'Cruel 
lights'  be  handed!  'Cruel  lights'  mean  terra 
firma  and  beet's;  eak" — and,  just  then,  some 
thing  happened. 

It  v  asn't  much:  it  was  only  that  one  of  mv 
murderous  friend  Applcton's  gearing-  had 
become  hide-bound  or  something'  of  that  sort 
and  that  he  leaned  over  and  said  to  me  quite 
complacently,  "\Yc  are  a  good  way  up.  and 
I  don't  know  whether  the  power  is  Coiner  to 
hold  out  or  not."  That  was  all  there  was  to 
it,  but,  to  tell  the  truth,  it  troubled  me.  Then 
we  bewail  to  drop  and  dip.  Then  O'P.rien 
looked  at  me  for  a  moment  appealingly.  and 
almost  under  his  breath  began  to  use  such 


WE    MAKE   PROGRESS.  77 

choice  South  Ilalsted  Street  expressions  as 
made  something  simply  classical,  something 
which  I  wish  could  have  been  taken  clown  in 
shorthand;  but  we  did  our  best,  O'Brien  and  I; 
we  jumped  to  the  places  which  we  had  learned 
were  ours  in  such  emergency  as  we  went 
downward  at  an  angle  all  too  sharp  toward  a 
grove  for  which  the  air-ship  at  that  particular 
moment  had  conceived  an  impassioned  and 
violent  affection. 

There  came  a  moment  when,  with  our  slant 
and  quality  of  descent  and  drift,  and  despite 
all  Appleton's  wild  efforts  with  his  packed-in 
powers,  it  became  apparent  to  each  of  us  that 
we  were  going  to  have  a  close,  not  to  say 
touching,  interview  with  that  grove.  We 
couldn't  miss  it.  To  plunge  into  the  top  of 
a  certain  looming  element  of  it  seemed  our 
certain  fate.  This  meant  disaster  of  a  sort 
you  could  describe  in  almost  any  sort  of  mood 
and  with  almost  any  kind  of  adjectives.  Some 
how,  and  in  some  way,  Appleton  made  our 
unaccustomed  carrier  lift  up  its  head  as  we 
swooped  down  so  that  there  was  almost  an 
inclination  to  the  horizontal.  But  it  was  in 
evitable  with  the  downward  drift  that,  if  we 
missed  ihe  trees,  we  should  drop  into  the  Des 


78  ARMAGEDDON. 

IMaines  River,  which  curved  at  this  point,  and 
so  involve  a  ]><>ssil>le  end  to  the  machine,  and 
to  certain  people. 

We  had  ropes  and  an  anchor,  of  course; 
1>elow  us  spread  out  about  live  acres  ot  green 
er}-,  the  tops  of  elm  trees.  Unal>le  longer 
to  resist  the  force  of  gravitation,  unable  long 
er  to  breast  and  remain  stationary  in  the  face 
of  the  northeastern  wind,  the  machine  was 
now  close  upon  the  grove.  Should  we  land 
amidst  it  we  would  be  in  a  bad  way;  should 
we  miss  it,  we  would  be  in  worse  strait  still. 
\Ye  dropped  our  anchor  and  took  the  chances. 

We  caught  fairly  in  a  tree-top  near  the 
southwestern  edge  of  the  grove  very  near  the 
river,  and  we  caught  well  and  firmly,  while  the 
machine,  tangled,  slanted  distressinglv  toward 
the  southwest,  under  the  prevailing  wind. 

There  we  were,  three  men,  sitting  in  a  little 
boat-shaped  attair.  upon  anything  but  an  even 
keel,  though  our  frail  carrier  and  its  machinery 
were  attached  firmly.  We  were  about  one 
hundred  feet  above  the  ground  and  the  wind 
was  gaining  force,  force  enough  to  keep  us 
away  up  there  strained  loftily  to  the  south 
west.  All  at  once  it  shifted  to  the  east  and 
we  were  sorrv  we  had  let  the  anchor  eo. 


WE   MAKE  PROGRESS.  79 

Freed  now,  we  could  land  on  the  prairie.  As 
it  was  we  didn't  see  any  practicable  way  to 
get  out  of  "the  hole,"  as  O'Brien  called  our 
predicament,  though  assuredly  we  weren't  in 
any  hole.  On  the  contrary,  a  hole  was  just 
what  would  have  been  appreciated  just  then. 
We  wanted  to  get  down  to  where  there  were 
holes.  We  weren't  enamored  of  day's  blue 
ether  nor  of  night's  less  brilliant  ether.  We 
wanted  terra  firma. 

And  then  one  Leander  O'Brien,  ready  here 
tofore  to  march  any  day  in  a  procession  flaunt 
ing  a  green  flag  with  a  yellow  harp  upon  it, 
and  really  hopeful  in  his  thought  that  The 
Island  of  his  kindred  might  possibly  be  al 
lowed  a  personal  entity  among  the  nations  of 
the  earth,  despite  all  geographical  and  politi 
cal  and  sensible  relations — one  Leander 
O'Brien,  each  one  of  whose  relations  was  a 
policeman,  a  sewer-digger,  a  political  boss,  a 
penitentiary  inmate  or  a  blessed  old  father 
of  a  family,  this  Leander  O'Brien  did  some 
thing. 

"Youse  just  stay  in  here,"  he  said,  "and  I'll 
fix  it!  Something's  got  to  be  did  and  mighty 
sudden!  This  tiling  has  got  to  be  loosed  and 
then  go  somewhere.  Anywhere  except  these 


8o  ARMAGEDDON. 

woods!  Thcy's  only  one  way  to  do  it.  Gim 
me  the  axe." 

He  didn't  wait  for  consent  or  orders.  He 
grabbed  the  hatchet  which  we  carried  for 
emergencies  and  a  moment  later  was  over  the 
end  and  slipping  down  the  anchor  rope.  The 
anchor  had  clutched  together  some  of  the 
outspreading  lighter  limbs  at  the  very  top  of 
the  elm,  and  O'Brien,  as  he  reached  the  an 
chor,  could  merely  thrust  his  way  into  a  great 
mass  of  green  leaves,  the  foliage  of  hundreds 
of  little  limbs  dragged  close  together  as  de 
scribed,  lie  burrowed  his  way  down  some 
how.  I  saw  him  with  his  legs  and  one  arm 
twined  round  the  sturdiest  of  the  small  limbs 
so  massed,  and  saw  the  axe  rise  and  fall,  each 
blow  severing  a  limb  and  lessening  the  re 
sisting  force  until  suddenly,  with  a  tear,  the 
machine  leaped  aloft,  swung  clear  of  the  for 
est  and  we  sailed  on",  to  land  quite  gallan'ly 
and  gently  and  respectably  half  a  mile  away. 

But  what  had  become  of  O'Brien?  Had 
he  been  tossed  away  from  the  tree  as  the 
slender  limb  upon  which  he  had  entwined 
himself  swung  back?5  Tf  his  grip  had  held 
could  he  still  have  reached  the  ground?  There 
was  anxiety  on  our  part,  but  O'Bricn  was  all 


WE   MAKE   PROGRESS.  8l 

right.  We  found  him,  ragged  and  scratched, 
but  not  seriously  hurt  in  any  way. 

"It  was  dead  easy,"  O'Brien  insisted,  in  re 
ply  to  our  inquiries,  "I  hung  on  when  the 
thing  flipped,  and  I  slid  down  somehow  and 
the  limbs  kept  getting  bigger  until  I  got  to 
the  tree  itself,  and  then,  blazes!  I  couldn't 
have  slid  down  if  the  tree  had  been  three 
inches  furder  around !" 

After  that  there  was  no  question  as  to  who 
should  be  the  man  to  go  with  us. 


82  ARMACKDDOX. 


CHAPTER   VII. 


One  hot,  breathless  August  morning  we 
awoke  to  a  world  about  to  plunge  in  war. 

For  months  we  had  watched  the  progress 
of  events  and  had  known  a  crisis  was  ap 
proaching.  Xow  that  crisis  was  here  and  we 
could  not  realize  it.  It  seemed  unreal,  the 
terrific  news  which  came.  Europe,  America, 
Asia.  .Africa  and  the  islands  of  the  seas  were 
hurrying  toward  desperate  conflict.  There 
was  upon  the  storm}'  waters  or  upon  the 
threatening  land  no  place  where  the  dove  of 
peace  could  rest. 

The  peace  which  had  followed  the  Spanish- 
Amcrican  war  was  almost  universal,  but  it 
was  nominal.  There  was  unrest.  The  spirit 
of  change  and  combination  was  universal.  It 
permeated  all  classes.  It  agitated  the  capital 
ists  and  reached  even  to  the  shopkeepers,  the 
last,  ordinarily,  to  feel  the  influence  of  new 
ideas.  All  through  the  world  of  trade  and 
commerce,  the  seeking  world  which  supplies 


WAR.  83 

us  with  what  we  need  from  clay  to  day,  went 
the  consciousness  that  new  conditions  and  a 
new  arrangement  were  to  follow  a  great  strug 
gle,  and  that  commercial  steps  swift  and  ear 
nest  should  be  taken  with  reference  to  the 
outcome. 

All  the  world  knew  that  the  relations  of  the 
nations  upon  earth  were  to  be  readjusted. 
All  the  world  knew,  as  did  the  mapmakers, 
that  new  forces,  industrial,  political,  literary 
and  social,  were  to  be  forcefully  applied  in 
new  places  and  with  an  aim  to  new  results 
upon  certain  areas  of  the  earth's  surface  here 
tofore  left,  either  fallow  or  cultivated  vicious 
ly,  or,  rather,  to  use  an  extenuating  expres 
sion,  with  an  unconscious  selfishness  begotten 
of  whatever  race  or  races  might  be  respon 
sible. 

It  was  a  vague  fear  but  a  real  one.  It  was 
an  undefined  terror  hard  to  illustrate  by  a 
simile.  In  a  room  somewhere  upon  the  globe 
a  group  of  girls  might  have  been  clustered 
dreading  an  approaching  thunder  storm.  The 
black  clouds  dropped  from  overhead  and  black 
clouds  rose  from  the  horizon  to  meet  them, 
and  the  thunder  peals  were  terrifying.  The 
girls  might  have  been  in  a  London  suburb  or 


£*  ARMAGEDDON. 

in  a  country-house  outside  of  Chicago  or  in 
a  villa  outside  of  Vienna,  or  in  a  fragile  home 
of  some  Mandarin  in  the  interior  of  China. 
These  girls  could  not  have  been  more  alarmed, 
or  more  or  less  brave  according  to  their  quali 
ty,  than  were  the  nations  of  the  earth,  feeling, 
through  the  expressions  of  their  statesmen 
and  their  newspapers,  the  climax  imminent. 
The  popular  mind  is.  after  all.  the  register  of 
what  is  plainly  existent,  or  of  what  is  immedi 
ately  threatening. 

Xever  in  the  history  of  the  nations  had  the 
pulses  of  so  mau\'  millions  beat  so  fast: 
never  had  each  man,  thinking  for  himself,  re 
garding  his  race,  his  religion  and  all  Ins  just 
affiliations,  resolved  more  honestly  and  more 
firmly  as  to  his  acts  in  the  immediate  future. 
It  came  strangely  to  be  understood  even 
throughout  the  races  not  actively  engaged  in 
the  struggle.  They  felt  it  dimly  in  the  limits 
of  the  Malayan  Peninsula;  they  telt  it  in  ilor 
neo:  they  felt  it  in  the  northern  end  of  Japan 
where  the  Japanese  hardly  go  themselves; 
the\'  felt  it  to  the  ends  of  the  visited  parts 
of  the  understanding  earth.  America  had 
vital  interests  at  stake,  for  from  the  coast  of 
Kurope  to  the  coast  of  China,  as  has  been 


WAR.  85 

told  before,  the  United  States  had  a  bridge, 
or,  to  put  it  better,  a  highway,  a  bridge  from 
the  mainland  to  the  Canaries,  from  the  Cana 
ries  to  Puerto  Rico,  from  Puerto  Rico  to  the 
Isthmus,  from  the  Isthmus  to  Hawaii,  and 
from  Hawaii  to  the  islands  of  the  Pacific  and 
all  the  Asiatic  coast.  Such  possessions  had 
made  the  statesmen  of  certain  European  na 
tions  think.  Such  possessions  had  resulted 
in  the  development  of  a  vast  American  trade, 
a  trade  dependent  upon  highways  parallel 
with  those  of  Great  Britain,  highways  the 
same  in  fact,  to  be  kept  clear  forever  as 
against  any  interference  of  the  rest  of  the 
world.  These  highways  must  be  defended, 
this  vast  and  increasing  trade  preserved. 

Five  hundred  millions  of  Asiatic  people, 
mostly  cotton-clad,  and  producing  themselves 
only  a  tithe  of  the  cotton  they  required,  were 
now  added  to  those  who  consumed  the  sur 
plus  products  of  America.  Before  the  Span 
ish-American  war  only  five  per  cent  of  the 
exports  of  the  United  States  went  westward. 
Now  the  trade  was  more  than  quadrupled, 
though  only  in  its  infancy.  A  procession  of 
huge  steamers,  heavily  laden,  crossed  the  Pa 
cific,  bearing  cotton  and  machinery  and  all 


8d  ARMAGEDDON. 

the  thousand  products  of  farm  or  manufac 
tory,  and  returned  with  their  cargoes  of  sugar, 
hemp,  indigo,  coffee,  tobacco,  woods  and  the 
hundred  other  products  of  the  Orient.  The 
deep  rivers  of  China,  now  open  to  the  world, 
enabled  the  ships  to  reach  the  far  interior  and 
load  or  unload  at  ports  heretofore  unap 
proachable.  The  Asiatics  themselves  were 
benefited,  as  were  their  unaccustomed  visitors, 
and  never  in  the  history  of  the  world  had 
there  grown  so  swiftly  a  trade  so  rich  and  full 
of  promise.  With  it  came  to  America  a  pros 
perity  almost  unexampled,  even  in  the  history 
of  that  fortunate  country,  and  now  that  pros 
perity  was  imperiled.  The  United  States  and 
( ireat  Britain  were  content  with  existing  con 
ditions,  but  not  so  Russia  and  (iermany  and 
France.  They  could  not  yet  compete  on  even 
terms  for  the  great  commercial  prixe.  and  that 
alone  gave  cause  for  inter.se  jealousy  and  an 
attempt  at  trade  reprisals  in  the  form  of  em 
barrassing  restrictions  upon  the  admission  of 
goods  from  the  countries  reaping  wealth  in 
the  new  field.  They  were  ineffective  and  hurt 
like  a  clumsily-thrown  returning  boomerang. 
these  invidious  laws,  but  thcv  made  bad  feel 
ing.  There  were  propositions  to  dismember 


WAR.  87 

China  and  divide  the  territory  between  the 
great  powers,  America  included,  but  these 
were  rejected,  while  it  was  made  clear  that 
were  such  partition  attempted  the  old  Empire 
would  have  the  assistance  of  Great  Britain  and 
the  United  States  in  the  preservation  of  its 
integrity.  In  America,  especially,  the  feeling 
in  favor  of  such  course  in  such  event  was 
something  overwhelming.  Should  we  throw 
away  what  we  had  gained?  Should  we  sacri 
fice  any  measure  of  our  new  prosperity?  From 
the  statesmen  in  Washington  to  the  cotton- 
grower  of  the  South,  the  corn-grower  of  the 
West,  the  wheat-grower  of  the  North  and  the 
manufacturer  of  the  East  the  answer  came  in 
chorus,  and  it  was  "No!" 

There  were  other  causes  leading  to  a  con 
flict,  but  the  nature  of  these  is  told  elsewhere. 
The  control  of  the  Nicaragua  Canal  was  one 
thing.  Deeper  than  all  was  the  feeling  that 
something  more  than  trade  privileges  were  at 
stake.  There  was  coming  swiftly  now  the 
definition  of  the  relations  of  nations.  Politi 
cally  and  rationally  speaking,  the  world  was 
split  in  twain  with  only  one  fragment  lying 
outside,  that  fragment  being  Germany,  the 
one  nation  whose  place  as  the  motherland  of 


ARMAGEDDON. 

the  Anglo-Saxon  should  have  made  her  first 
in  the  combination  of  her  brood,  of  the  mag 
nificent  spawning  from  the  place  of  the  au 
rochs  and  the  deep  forests  and  the  hides-of- 
land  folk. 

Never  since  the  world  began  had  there  been 
such  formation  everywhere  of  companies  and 
regiments  and  divisions  and  corps  of  all  the 
available  fighting  material  of  a  country. 
Never  before  had  the  taxes  been  so  raised. 
The  American  Congress  alone  had  voted, 
without  a  murmur  fn  an  the  people,  three  hun 
dred  million  dollars  fur  the  navy.  England 
was  as  alert  and  active.  Never  before  had  the 
supposedly  great  men  gathered  together  in 
such  solemn  council  by  day  and  night.  Never 
before  had  the  great  armory  workshops  been 
so  strained  in  the  effort  to  produce  efficient 
weapons  of  war  within  the  shortest  practicable 
time.  Russia  had  been  garnering  her  gold 
and  teaching  her  artisans  and  strengthening 
her  navy  and  extending  her  lines  of  railway 
in  preparation  for  the  great  emergency.  In 
Germany  the  vaults  of  Spandau  were  packed 
nearly  to  the  bursting  point,  and  the  fighting 
strength  on  land  and  sea  had  been  increased. 
As  for  I'Yance,  the  nation  of  which  one,  think- 


WAR.  09 

ing  of  the  Zola-Dreyfus  madness,  said,  per 
haps  unjustly,  "Decadence,"  the  nation  where 
militarism  controlled  by  clericalism  had  be 
come  too  dominant  a  force,  there  was  at 
least  a  fine  outward  showing",  there  were 
camps  and  maneuvers  on  a  splendid  scale,  the 
officers  of  both  army  and  navy  had  chests 
well  bulged  out  and  shoulders  well  bulged  in 
behind,  and  the  rank  and  file  were  at  least 
decently  well  dressed  and  fed,  and  the  mil 
lions  of  francs  from  the  provinces  came  pour 
ing  in,  and  there  was,  externally,  a  vast  army 
well  equipped  and  bloodthirsty,  and  in  it  were 
many  gallant  gentlemen  who  deserved  a  bet 
ter  setting. 

As  to  Austria,  the  men  who  had,  a  few  years 
ago,  yelped  and  struggled  and  made  ignoble 
exhibitions  of  themselves  in  racial  debate 
in  the  Austrian  Reichrath  became  suddenly 
men  impelled  by  a  common  impulse  to  work- 
together  under  a  common  flag.  Germans, 
Poles,  Czechs,  Magyars,  Moravians  and  all 
the  rest  came  together  in  the  spirit  which 
makes  men  what  we  call  patriotic.  They  for 
got  their  little  differences  and  were  prepared 
to  fight  side  by  side  for  the  Austrian  Empire. 
The  gentleman  who  hit  another  gentleman  on 


90  ARMAGEDDON. 

the  nose  one  day  in  the  course  of  a  debate, 
shook  hands  with  his  brother  statesman  and 
dearest  foe,  and  they  resolved  to  die  together. 
And  so  it  was  with  the  other  nations  naturally 
allied  with  these.  The  pot  was  seething. 

The  immediate  excuses  for  the  struggle 
when  it  came  were  relatively  insignificant. 
They  arc  ever  at  hand  when  nations  clamor. 
And  so,  blindly,  madly,  yet  propelled  by  irre 
sistible  forces,  the  nations  were  arrayed  to 
fight  to  the  death.  The  lines  were  natural 
except  for  the  Germans,  who  were  groping 
helplessly  as  a  people,  and,  so  far  as  they  were 
natural,  they  were  in  a  way  satisfactory.  It 
was  easy  for  the  common  soldier  to  know 
where  to  look  for  friend  or  foe.  In  America 
the  German  citizens  as  one  man  stood  for 
their  adopted  country.  "It  is  true,"  said  one, 
"that  we  love  our  mother  country,  but  we 
have  espoused  America  and  we  leave  all  to 
follow  her." 

This  was  when  the  day  of  action  came,  the 
day  of  meetings,  speeches  and  resolutions 
having  passed. 

"Your  head  shall  fall,"  said  a  Norseman  to  a 
prisoner,  in  the  time  of  Harold  Fairhair.  "If 


WAR.  91 

you  know   things  after  you   die,  wink  your 
eyes." 

"I  will  do  so,"  said  the  other  Norseman, 
and  the  blow  was  given — but  he  did  not  wink. 
That  was  the  Norseman,  one  type  of  him 
whose  ancestors  overran  the  British  Isles. 
There  is  no  chronology  in  this — and  that  is 
the  man,  that  is  the  type  of  the  men  who  have 
held  the  little  group  of  islands  they  have  won, 
who  have  sent  out,  because  it  was  in  their 
sons'  blood,  groups  of  people  who  have  seized 
upon  a  great  part  of  the  world,  who  peopled 
Northern  America,  though  the  children  are 
apart,  who  have  made  old  and  ancient  Aus 
tralasia  to  blossom  as  the  rose,  who  will  just 
as  surely  people  Africa,  the  lush  continent  so 
long  neglected  by  the  civilized,  and  enlighten 
Asia,  as  the  world  turns  on  an  invisible  in 
tangible  axis  and  brings  about  what  men  be 
lieve  in  and  know.  Night  and  Morning.  And 
these  made  the  Anglo-Saxon  alliance. 


9-2  ARMAGEDDON. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

A    PATH    FOR    H.MIMRK. 

I'pon  one  fact  the  mind  of  every  American 
citizen  rested  with  satisfaction  at  the  moment 
when  the  nations  of  the  world  began  their 
combat.  The  Nicaragua  Canal — lone; 
planned — lone;  talked  of — was  completed  to 
such  a  point  as  to  allow  the  greatest  ships  to 
go  freely  through  it  from  ocean  to  ocean. 
A  few  minor  details  remained  to  be  finished, 
but  for  practical  use  the  canal  was  open. 

I  was  especially  interested  in  this  feature  of 
the  situation,  for  I  personally  knew  the  route 
of  the  Nicaragua  Canal  from  end  to  end, 
and  knew  all  its  planning.  It  seemed  but  yes 
terday  to  me,  though  in  reality  more  than 
two  years  had  passed  since  I  was  with 
the  great  engineer  in  charge  of  the  vast  enter 
prise,  and  about  to  begin  his  work.  Appleton 
was  now  full  of  questions  about  this  work  in 
its  minutire,  for  he  saw  plainly  its  tremendous 
consequences  and  import,  and  as  I  told  him 
the  storv  as  I  knew  it,  with  more  detail  than 


A  PATH    FOR   EMPIRE.  93 

T  had  thought  of  before,  he  grew  enthusiastic, 
not  only  over  what  was  now  made  possible, 
but  over  what  had  already  been  achieved. 

The  Nicaragua  Canal  is  now  known  in  all 
its  features  to  everyone.  Its  construction  is 
a  matter  of  history,  but  the  human  side  of 
events  somehow  gets  lost  in  the  pages  of  the 
historian.  The  Wild  Goose,  too,  has  its  place 
in  the  record  of  public  events  as  the  fore-run 
ner  of  the  new  arm — nay,  the  wing  of  war — 
but  its  history,  as  it  was  related  to  men  and 
women,  is  now  being  told  for  the  first  time  in 
this  imperfect  way  of  mine. 

It  chanced  that  I  saw  the  furious  and  de 
termined  beginning  and  the  triumphant  end 
ing  of  the  Nicaragua  Canal  enterprise.  As 
the  story  of  the  battle  of  the  nations  cannot  be 
told  without  including  that  of  this  masterpiece 
of  work,  I  shall  tell  here  what  I  saw,  and  what 
I  know  about  it. 

Soon  after  our  war  with  Spain  was  ended, 
and  long  before  1  had  heard  from  Appleton 
or  settled  down  to  this  peaceful  summer  on 
the  prairie  of  which  I  have  been  telling,  I 
was  in  Greytown,  Nicaragua,  as  confidential 
secretary  to  George  Strong,  head  of  the  Com 
mission  of  the  United  States,  appointed  to 


94  A  KM. \OF.nnnx. 

complete  at  the  earliest  possible  moment, 
without  regard  to  ordinary  considerations  of 
economy,  the  Nicaragua  Canal. 

John  Savage,  the  Ameiican  engineer,  had 
been  working  away  steadily  for  some  time, 
and  had  made  good  use  of  everything  he  had 
at  his  command.  !  le  had  planned  to  take  live 
years  in  which  to  do  his  work  and  was  well  on 
with  the  preliminary  part  of  it.  with  much  of 
his  machinery  on  the  ground.  The  work  was 
well  inaugurated  at  either  end,  but  that  was 
all.  The  great  American  company,  to  which, 
a  concession  had  been  made,  and  the  contract 
ors,  who  were  first  partnvrs  in  the  enterprise, 
had  naturally  sought  to  estimate  the  length 
of  time  in  which  the  canal  could  be  most  eco 
nomically  constructed.  Time  was  but  a  sub 
ordinate  consideration  with  them.  Even  the 
estimate  of  the  period  required  and  of  the 
money  to  be  expended  demanded  the  utmost 
engineering  skill:  and  then  only  an  approxi 
mate  conclusion  could  be  reached.  \\  e  all 
know  of  the  canal  in  a  general  way,  but  at  the 
risk  of  being  heavy  in  telling  a  story  I  must, 
for  the  sake  of  making  clear  all  that  was  done, 
tell  of  the  nature  of  the  country  to  be  crossed. 

The    canal    lies    between    latitude    I  I       and 


A   PATH    FOR   EMPIRE.  95 

ii°  30'  north,  and  longitude  83°  to  86°  west 
from  Greenwich,  all  in  the  state  of  Nicaragua, 
except  about  forty  miles  which  border  upon 
the  state  of  Costa  Rica.  Its  eastern  terminus 
is  at  Greytown,  two  thousand  miles  by  the 
Windward  passage  from  New  York  City  and 
one  thousand  miles  by  the  Yucatan  passage 
from  Key  West.  The  western  terminus  is  at 
Brito,  twenty-seven  hundred  miles  from  San 
Francisco.  The  general  course  is  east  and 
west,  the  distance  between  the  two  ports  being 
one  hundred  and  seventy  miles. 

The  topography  of  the  country  is  formed  by 
two  mountain  chains,  the  western  a  volcanic 
upheaval  skirting  the  Pacific  coast  at  a  dis 
tance  of  from  four  to  eight  miles;  the  eastern 
the  main  Cordilleras,  skirting  the  Atlantic 
coast  near  Greytown  at  a  distance  of  from 
fifteen  to  twenty  miles.  These  two  ranges 
unite  at  the  eastward  in  the  highlands  of  Costa 
Rica  in  a  knot  of  volcanic  peaks.  They  again 
unite  to  the  westward  in  the  highlands  of 
Honduras  and  Guatemala,  thus  forming  an 
enclosed  basin,  twelve  thousand  square  miles 
of  which  drain  into  a  system  of  lakes  and 
rivers  which  finds  its  outlet  through  the  San 
Juan  River  at  Greytown.  The  main  feature  of 


96  ARMAGKDDOX. 

tin's  basin  is  Lake  Nicaragua,  with  an  area  of 
some  three  thousand  square  miles,  with  a  low- 
water  elevation  above  sea  level  of  one  hundred 
feet,  and  a  high-water  elevation  some  thirteen 
feet  greater.  This  lake  is  one  hundred  and 
ten  miles  long  and  some  sixty  miles  wide  in 
its  broadest  part,  and  its  depth  extends  below 
sea  level.  Twelve  to  fifteen  miles  to  the  west 
ward  of  the  lake  is  a  second  lake  called  Lake 
Managua,  some  thirty  mile's  long  and  twenty 
miles  wide,  at  an  elevation  twenty-eight  feet 
higher,  and  discharging  into  Lake  Nicaragua. 
The  outlet  of  Lake  Nicaragua  is  the  San  Juan 
River,  beginning  at  Fort  San  Carlos,  and  by 
a  meandering  course  of  one  hundred  and  ten 
miles  making  its  way  to  the  sea  at  (ircytown. 
'idie  most  considerable  tributary  of  the  San 
Juan  is  the  San  Carlos  River,  which  enters 
from  the  south  about  fifty  miles  from  the  sea. 
This  drains  the  Costa  Rica  highlands  and 
starts  within  twenty  miles  of  San  Jnse  in  Costa 
Rica,  and  is  a  torrential  stream,  carrying  large 
quantities  of  detritus. 

The  general  situation  in  Nicaragua  is,  there 
fore,  a  system  of  streams  draining  the  steep 
mountain  slopes  which  hold  the  basin  and 
two  lakes  draining  to  the  Caribbean  Sea 


A  PATH   FOR   EMPIRE.  97 

through  a  gap  in  the  eastern  Cordilleras  which 
are  here  broken  down  nearly  to  sea  level,  this 
gap  being  several  miles  wide.  On  the  Pacific 
side  the  Coast  Range  is  also  broken  down 
nearly  to  sea  level,  within  four  miles  of  Brito, 
the  gap  at  this  point  being  only  about  one- 
third  of  a  mile  wide.  Between  Lake  Nicara 
gua  and  the  Pacific  the  distance  in  the  narrow 
est  part  is  but  twelve  miles  and  the  greatest 
elevation  is  but  fifty-two  feet  above  the  low- 
water  of  Lake  Nicaragua.  On  the  Atlantic 
slope,  by  the  San  Juan  River,  the  descent  is 
gradual  except  as  it  is  interrupted  by  the 
rapids  at  Toro,  Castillo  and  Machuca,  all  situ 
ated  within  a  length  of  twenty  miles  and  be 
ginning  thirty  miles  from  the  lake.  The  situ 
ation  virtually  constitutes  a  trough  across  the 
American  Isthmus  one  hundred  and  seventy 
miles  long,  of  which  Lake  Nicaragua  is  the 
summit,  and  is  the  lowest  gap  in  the  hemi 
sphere  from  Point  Barrow  in  Alaska  to  the 
Straits  of  .Magellan.  This  trough,  fortu 
nately,  is  in  the  axis  of  the  northeast  trade 
winds,  which  are  concentrated  there  as  in  a 
funnel,  giving  an  almost  constant  breeze  of 
eight  to  ten  miles  an  hour.  So  the  climate  is 
a  healthy  one. 


<;S  ARMAGEDDON. 

In  Lake  Nicaragua  and  nearly  opposite  the 
Pacific  division  of  the  canal,  at  some  five  t<> 
ten  miles  from  the  shore,  is  the  island  of 
Ometepe,  which  contains  two  volcanic  cones, 
one  nearly  perfect  in  form  and  rising1  to  an 
altitude  of  five  thousand  eight  hundred  feet: 
the  other  rising  to  an  altitude  of  four  thousand, 
six  hundred  feet.  Both  of  these  are  strikingly 
visible  from  all  parts  of  the  lake  and  the  ad 
jacent  shores,  and  far  out  on  the  Pacific.  To 
the  westward  of  Pake  Managua  are  also  sev 
eral  volcanic  peaks,  the  most  notable  of 
which  is  Momotombo,  rising  from  the  shore 
of  the  lake  to  an  altitude  of  over  six  thousand 
feet,  and  the  other,  Momotombito,  situated  in 
the  lake,  rising  to  nearly  four  thousand  feet. 

I  know  that  this  appears  all  guide-bookish 
and  dull  reading,  but  what  we  made  happen 
there  gives  an  interest  to  every  feature  of  the 
region.  Hundreds  of  thousands  of  travelers 
have  seen  them  now. 

The  canal  project  was,  from  the  first,  simply 
a  proposition  to  extend  the  level  of  Pake 
Nicaragua  as  far  toward  each  sea  as  possible, 
and  then  by  a  series  of  locks  drop  down  to 
tide  level.  In  this  proposition  the  Pacific  di 
vide  must  be  cut  down  to  the  level  of  Pake 


A   PATH    FOR    EMPIRE.  99 

Nicaragua  by  a  through  cut,  about  eighty  feet 
deep  at  the  summit  and  nine  miles  long,  into 
the  basin  of  the  Tola  River,  so  that  this  basin 
could  be  closed  by  a  high  dam  at  a  point  called 
La  Flor,  some  eighty  feet  high  and  seventeen 
hundred  feet  long  in  the  gap  of  the  Coast 
Range  previously  referred  to.  This  dam 
would  be  within  four  miles  of  the  Pacific 
Ocean  at  Brito,  and  the  descent  to  the  level 
of  the  sea  could  be  made  by  three  or  four 
locks.  On  the  Atlantic  side  it  was  proposed 
to  close  the  valley  of  the  San  Juan  River  at  a 
distance  of  sixty  to  seventy  miles  from  Lake 
Nicaragua  by  a  dam  or  embankment  abutting 
the  spurs  of  the  Cordilleras  and  extending 
across  the  valley.  This,  it  was  estimated, 
would  be  sixty  to  seventy  feet  high  in  places 
and  several  miles  in  length,  thus  forming  an 
artificial  lake  by  flooding  out  the  valley  of  the 
San  Juan  to  a  depth  of  sixty  feet  or  more  in  its 
lower  courses. 

The  Upper  San  Juan  River  for  a  dis 
tance  of  some  thirty  miles  from  the  lake 
required  deepening  by  dredging.  From 
the  lower  end  of  this  artificial  lake,  skirted  by 
the  dam  at  Tamborgrande,  the  cut  was  to  be 
made  across  the  saddle  in  the  Cordilleras.  It 


loo  ARMAGEDDON. 

would  be  about  three  miles  long  and  have  a 
maximum  depth  of  three  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  feet  and  would  extend  the  level  of  Lake 
Nicaragua  into  the  valley  of  a  small  stream 
called  the  Deseado.  This  valley  \vas  to  be 
closed  by  another  embankment  from  three  to 
five  miles  east  of  the  divide  cut,  and  at  this 
point  locks  were  to  be  placed,  reaching  down 
to  the  level  of  the  Caribbean,  and  the  canal 
was  to  be  cut  for  some  ten  miles  thence,  at 
sea  level,  to  Grey  town  on  the  sea.  What 
problems  for  the  engineer! 

Here  was  the  general  plan  devised  for  the 
gigantic  work: 

Beginning  at  Grey  town  a  harbor  was  to  be 
created  by  means  of  breakwaters  extending 
out  to  sea  for  a  mile  or  more  and  by  dredg 
ing.  The  canal  was  to  extend  southwesterly 
across  a  nearly  level  plain,  but  slightly  ele 
vated  above  sea  level,  for  a  distance  of  ten 
miles  to  the  foothills.  At  this  point  locks 
were  to  be  constructed  for  a  distance  of  two 
miles  to  the  level  of  Lake  Nicaragua,  to  be 
fixed  one  hundred  and  ten  feet  above  sea  level. 
At  this  point  at  the  head  of  the  locks  the 
Deseado  Valley  was  to  be  closed  by  embank 
ments,  forming  a  basin  three  miles  long,  up 


A   PATH    FOR   EMPIRE.  IOI 

to  the  foot  .of  the  divide  cutting.  This  divide 
cutting-  was  to  be  some  three  miles  long  on 
the  base,  with  a  maximum  depth  of  three  hun 
dred  and  twenty-live  feet  and  was  the  most 
formidable  part  of  the  undertaking,  and  the 
one  requiring  the  most  time.  The  rock  from 
this  cutting  was  to  be  used  for  the  construc 
tion  of  breakwaters  and  for  the  masonry  of 
the  locks.  Rock  and  earth  together  were  to 
be  hauled  several  miles  to  form  the  closing 
embankment  across  the  San  Juan  River  at 
either  Ochoa  or  Tamborgran.de. 

After  passing,  the  divide  cutting  the  canal 
was  to  open  out  into  the  valley  of  a  small 
stream  called  the  Limpio,  and  following  it 
down  for  a  couple  of  miles  find  the  valley  of 
the  San  Juan  River  proper.  From  this  point 
for  a  distance  of  forty-four  miles,  following 
the  course  of  the  San  Juan  River  to  the  foot 
of  Toro  Rapids,  no  work  was  required  except 
the  clearing  out  of  timber  and  the  straighten 
ing  of  an  occasional  bend.  From  Toro  Rap 
ids  to  Lake  Nicaragua  the  river  had  to  be 
deepened  on  the  average  from  ten  to  fifteen 
feet  for  a  distance  of  thirty  miles,  and  in  this 
stretch  was  some  submarine  rock  excavation. 
After  reaching  the  lake  at  Fort  San  Carlos 


102  ARMAGEDDON 

sonic  deepening  of  the  approaches  to  the  river 
was  required  for  a  distance  of  six  miles  fn»m 
shore;  then  for  a  distance  of  fifty  miles  across 
the  lake  the  water  was  of  ample  depth. 

At  the  other  end  of  the  projected  canal  was 
another  theatre  of  action. 

The  Pacific  division  was  to  be  nineteen 
miles  long",  beginning  at  a  point  about  midway 
of  the  Lake  opposite  the  island  of  Ometepe 
at  the  mouth  of  the  River  Lajas.  Following 
up  this  stream  and  crossing  the  divide  into  the 
valley  of  the  Rio  Grande  was  a  distance  of 
nine  miles,  requiring  a  maximum  cutting  of 
eight}'  feet.  Down  in  the  Rio  Grande,  with 
some  improvements  through  what  is  known 
as  the  Tola  basin,  an  artificial  lake  some  six 
miles  long,  was  planned  to  be  formed  by  a 
dam  at  La  Llor  seventy  to  eight}'  feet  high. 
This  lake  was  to  have  an  area  of  about  seven 
square  miles.  From  its  level  at  La  Flor.  looks 
were  to  descend  to  the  level  of  the  Pacific  for 
two  miles,  and  the  next  two  miles  were  to 
constitute  the  harbor  and  entrance  at  I'rito 
entering  the  Pacific  under  a  bluff  rising  sheer 
from  the  water  nearly  four  hundred  feet. 

The  construction  of  this  work,  it  was  esti 
mated,  involved  the  handling  of  sixty  to 


A  PATH   FOR   EMPIRE.  103 

seventy  million  yards  of  earth,  about  one-half 
of  which  would  be  by  dredging,  the  blasting 
and  removal  of  twenty-five  to  thirty  million 
yards  of  rock,  the  construction  of  fifteen  to 
twenty  million  yards  of  embankment,  the 
making-  one  and  a  half  million  to  two  million 
yards  of  masonry,  about  two  miles  of  break 
waters,  one  hundred  miles  of  railroad;  and 
the  use  of  not  less  than  one  and  a  half  mil 
lion  tons  of  coal  and  thirteen  hundred  tons  of 
dynamite!  The  material  to  be  excavated 
would  fill  a  square  mile  over  one  hundred  feet 
deep. 

The  difficulties  in  execution  would  be  due 
largely  to  the  tmpreparedness  of  a  new  coun 
try,  one  to  two  thousand  miles  away  from  a 
base  of  supplies  and  from  regions  whence 
workmen  could  be  drawn.  The  facilities  for 
transportation  must  be  provided,  there  being 
existent  only  the  very  inadequate  and  uncer 
tain  navigation  of  the  River  San  Juan. 

The  Pacific  end  of  the  canal  as  originally 
planned  was  to  be  worked  from  San  Fran 
cisco,  as  a  base,  and  later  it  was  decided  to 
work  it  from  the  Atlantic  side  after  transpor 
tation  facilities  to  reach  it  had  been  provid 
ed.  There  were  no  natural  harbors  on  either 


104  ARMAGEDDON. 

const;  therefore  one  that  would  permit  trans 
ports  to  land  must  he  made  at  each  end  be 
fore  any  serious  work  could  be  undertaken. 
.Machine  shops  and  depots  of  supplies  must  be 
created  on  the  ground,  for  no  such  facilities 
were  in  existence.  Hospitals  and  habitations 
must  be  constructed  and  police  service  or 
ganized.  The  labor  supply  of  the  country  was 
entirely  inadequate,  and  what  there  was  must 
be  trained  to  proper  habits  for  work  of  this 
magnitude. 

The  resources  of  the  country  were  also  in 
adequate  in  the  sense  that  they  were  not  de 
veloped  and  could  not  be  developed  in  time 
to  serve  a  large  purpose  in  the  construction 
of  the  canal.  In  short,  the  problem  was  first 
— to  produce  in  Nicaragua  a  situation  by  pro 
viding  all  necessary  facilities  as  ports,  trans 
portation  system,  buildings,  and  an  organiza 
tion  with  machine  shops  and  everything  neces 
sary  to  make  and  repair  tools  and  machinery 
and  to  put  into  operation  steamship  lines  from 
both  fireytown  and  Hrito.  All  this  must  be 
done  before  the  main  work  itself  could  be 
undertaken  with  vigor  and  prosecuted  with 
any  degree  of  economy. 

How    long    it     would     take      to      produce 


A  PATH   FOR  EMPIRE.  105 

these  facilities  was  the  uncertain  question 
in  the  problem;  how  far  rainfall  and  cli 
matic  conditions  would  affect  the  question 
was  yet  to  be  determined,  although  the 
experience  here  was  likely  to  be  more  fav 
orable  than  at  Panama.  All  these  questions 
would  develop  during  the  period  of  prepara 
tion  so  that  when  the  main  work  itself  was 
systematically  undertaken,  it  could  be  done 
with  some  certainty  as  to  the  time  of  com 
pletion.  The  time  of  the  main  work  would 
be  determined  by  the  main  cutting  across  the 
spur  of  the  Cordilleras  on  the  eastern  division. 
This  would  involve  the  removal  of  over  twelve 
million  yards  of  rock  and  over  six  million 
yards  of  earth  within  a  distance  of  three  miles, 
and  it  would  be  solely  a  question  as  to  how 
large  a  force  of  men  and  machinery  could  be 
applied  to  it.  The  material  must  be  loaded  on 
cars  and  hauled  away  as  the  flanks  of  the 
mountains  were  so  steep  as  to  prohibit  deposit 
of  material  in  the  vicinity.  A  large  fraction 
of  this  material  could,  however,  be  put  to 
good  use  in  the  construction  of  embankments, 
masonry  and  breakwaters. 

The  western  division  also  involved  an  ele 
ment  of  time,  as  it  could  not  be  undertaken 


I  Of) 

with  economy  until  it  could  he  readied  hy  a 
transportation  system  from  the  C'arihhean 
coast,  as  San  Francisco  was  too  remote  and 
the  cost  of  coal  on  the  Pacific  side  too  high. 
This  work,  though,  was  distrihuted  over  a 
much  longer  distance  and  the  material  could 
he  left  adjacent  to  the  cutting,  and  the  cm- 
hankment  \vork  was  much  less  formidahle,  so 
that  it  could  he  handled  in  less  time  after  it 
was  once  reached.  The  remainder  of  the 
work  was  well  distrihuted  and  was  simply  a 
question  of  the  amount  of  facilities  which 
could  he  applied  to  it. 

After  having  considered  all  these  problems 
the  big  American  Company  had  gone  to  work 
under  government  encouragement.  Vast 
amounts  of  money  had  been  expended  and 
fohn  Savage  had  done  well.  The  harbor  of 
(ireytown  had  become  a  real  harbor,  and  enor 
mous  appliances  and  a  large  force  of  men  were 
already  being  utili/ed.  Then  came  the  back 
ing  of  two  nations. 


THE    HOUR    AND    THE    MEN.  107 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE    HOUR   AND    THE    MEN. 

All  had  been  determined  regarding  the  ten 
tative  alliance  of  Great  Britain  and  the  United 
States.  But  the  Anglo-Saxons  are  practical 
and,  even  before  the  details  of  this  alliance 
were  fixed,  they  had  arranged  for  working 
enormously  together  toward  a  contingency. 
It  was  understood  that  America  should  con 
trol  the  Nicaragua  Canal  but  that  Great 
Britain  should  have  the  right  of  use,  and  it 
was  also  arranged  that  Great  Britain  should 
join  the  United  States  in  the  production  of 
available  funds  for  securing  the  greatest  re 
sults  within  the  shortest  time.  There  was 
conference  between  statesmen,  and  a  man  of 
high  standing,  of  admitted  honesty  and  tact 
and  energy,  George  Strong,  was  finally  se 
lected,  who  was  given  almost  unlimited  power 
as  representing,  in  a  manner,  two  nations,  and 
was  told  to  build  that  canal  at  once,  to  build  it 
well,  to  build  it  within  the  shortest  possible 
time  and  to  be  inconsiderate,  save  in  a  reason 
able  way,  of  all  expenditure,  and  a  meeting 


io8 

was  arranged  between  the  Commissioner  and 
Savage,  the  i^reat  engineer,  \vlio  had  already 
overcome  tlie  iirst  obstacles  of  the  enormous 
enterprise. 

The  two  men  met  in  a  hotel  in  Grcytown, 
the  canal's  eastern  terminus.  1  sav  "two" 
men,  for  though  I  was  with  them  1  could  not 
count  myself  as  of  them  in  what  they  were 
about  to  do.  I  was,  while  perhaps  a  social 
equal,  only  a  secretary  to  the  Commission 
er,  and,  necessarily,  I  was  with  him  from  this 
time  almost  continuously.  They  met  and  we 
all  dined  together  and  became  acquainted.  I 
liked  the  engineer.  I  le  was  ^aunt  and  bronz 
ed  and  his  face — for  he  wore  onlv  a  mous 
tache — showed  strong  lines,  his  head,  i^ettm^" 
bald,  was  admirably  shaped,  and  his  eye  was 
clear.  1  could  see  that  the  Commissioner,  old 
er  and  balder  and  heavily  bearded,  liked  him. 
too.  \Ye  had  little  talk  of  the  canal  that  ni^ht. 
That  was  left  for  the  morning. 

I'.ut  the  evening  was  not  wasted  entirely. 
The  two  men  smoked,  talked  and  played  bil 
liards  diligently.  They  talked  not  at  all  after 
the-  first  few  words  that  evening  of  a  canal 
which  should  split  a  hemisphere  and  which 
should  afford  facilities  for  the  An'rlo-Sa.\on's 


THE   HOUR   AND   THE    MEN.          109 

grasping  of  his  own  in  what  he  needs  for  ful 
filling-  his  career  in  the  history  of  this  planet. 
The  two  men  did  not  say  much  on  any  sub 
ject  but  they  studied  each  other  at  the  billiard 
table  and  as  they  lounged  in  the  smoking 
room.  The  Commissioner,  who  played  badly, 
won  the  first  game  of  billiards.  The  table 
was  a  trifle  slanted  and  the  lighter  of  the  two 
red  balls  was  cracked,  and  the  engineer,  who 
played  even  worse,  won  the  second  game  and 
then  they  took  a  drink  together  wondering 
whether  or  not  they  ought  to  take  a  drink 
at  all  in  such  a  climate.  Then  they  separated 
and  each  went  off  to  bed  and,  it  is  safe  to  say, 
thought  long  before  sleep  came  to  him,  and 
set  his  teeth  together  and  resolved  that,  so  far 
as  in  him  lay,  that  canal,  the  most  prodigious 
work  of  modern  times,  should  be  built,  and 
well  built,  within  the  shortest  number  of 
months  and  weeks  and  days  and  hours  and 
minutes  practicable  with  such  money  and  men 
as  could  be  commanded  from  all  sources.  And 
it  may  be  said  here  and  now  that,  after  the 
talk,  in  the  sunlight  of  the  next  morning,  the 
two  men  understood  each  other  thoroughly 
and  thenceforth  became  somewhat  as  brothers 
and  planned  and  worked  together  faithfully 


until  they  had  accomplished  what  all  the 
world  now  says  was  a  good  tiling. 

Three  men,  well-scrubbed  in  water  which 
was  too  warm,  and  in  clothing  which  was 
scandalously  thin,  ate  their  breakfasts  of  egg 
and  coffee  and  toast,  and,  in  all  honest}',  it 
must  be  said  of  the  plain  hen  that  her  egg  is 
about  the  same  no  matter  how  near  the  place 
of  its  advent  is  to  the  equator.  Thev  were 
good  eggs  eaten  by  those  two  gentlemen  that 
morning  and,  as  to  the  quality  of  the  toast, 
it  provoked  profanity  neither  from  the  Com 
missioner  nor  from  the  engineer.  As  for  the 
coffee,  where  could  better  coffee  be  had  than 
\\here  coffee  is  grown."  As  for  the  fruit,  where 
could  better  fruit  be  had  than  in  such  a  lati 
tude? 

It  was  a  good  breakfast  and  there  was 
smoking  after  it  on  a  piazza,  where  there  was 
a  decent  breeze,  then  business  began. 

"It  is  scarcely  necessary,"  said  the  Com 
missioner,  as  he  leaned  back  cigar  in  mouth, 
•'.ml  looked  at  the  engineer,  considering 
thoughtfully  his  shape  of  head  and  quality  of 
jaw,  "It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  say  to  you 
that  as  the  middle-aged  messenger  boy  of  one 
nation  and,  in  a  \vav,  of  another,  I  am  going 


THE    HOUR    AND    THE    MEN.  HI 

to  ask  you  what  you  can  do.  Can  you  tell 
me  about  the  canal?" 

"I  think  I  can,"  was  the  reply. 

"Well,  we've  run  some  things  over  casually 
by  correspondence  and  reports  and,  with  your 
habits  of  thought  and  conciseness  of  expres 
sion,  you  have  probably  outlined  things  more 
closely  than  could  have  any  other  man  upon 
the  face  of  the  globe.  But  this  is  what  I  want 
of  you:  I  want  you  to  meet  me,  not  merely 
half-way,  but  with  an  utter  recklessness;  I 
want  you  to  have  the  record  in  future  history 
of  having  been  a  great  engineer  who  accom 
plished  with  unlimited  resources  the  greatest 
results  within  a  certain  time.  I  want  you  to 
tell  me  what  all  this  great  matter  is.  I  know, 
for  instance,  that  there  is  a  great  thing  shaped 
like  an  hour-glass  and  called  the  Western 
Hemisphere;  I  know  that  where  the  neck  is 
narrowest  the  Frenchmen,  under  the  unfortu 
nate  De  Lesseps,  have  digged  in  sand  and 
have  buried  many  men  near  by;  I  know  that 
there  has  been  a  scandal  abroad  and  that  there 
is  no  canal,  and  that  in  France  there  are  repu 
tations  torn  to  shreds.  Now,  tell  me  why 
this  canal  is  better  or  why  we  should  not,  if  we 
can,  take  up  the  older  one  partly  built — for 


112  ARMAGEDDON. 

those  French  millions  could  not  have  1>een  en 
tirely  wasted — and  finish  it  as  best  we  can 
with  Anglo-Saxon  vim.  and  so  connect  the 
seas?" 

The  engineer  leaned  back  and  thought  most 
seriously.  1  le  thought  for  many  moments  be 
fore  he  spoke: 

"The  French  Canal  lies  farther  south  and 
makes  a  longer  detour  between  the  two  coasts 
of  the  United  States.  Its  climate  is  unhealth- 
ful.  a  tremendous  factor  in  construction  and  a 
serious  one  in  maintenance.  It  is  projected 
through  a  streak  of  land  between  the  contin 
ents  not  fitted  for  a  good  and  permanent 
waterway.  The  stability  of  the  deep  cuttings 
and  the  control  of  the  Hoods  are  yet  problema 
tical  for  a  sea  level  canal.  As  a  high  level 
canal,  it  is  not  to  be  compared  with  the  Xica- 
ragnan.  Undoubtedly  we  could  connect  the 
seas  in  a  practical  wav  more  quickly  bv  com 
pleting  the  Panama  Canal,  if  we  could  get  it. 
than  by  any  other  method,  but  the  route  of 
the  Panama  Canal  is  not  the  one  which  should 
have  been  chosen  for  the  wedding  of  the 
oceans.  The  Nicaragua  route  offers  the  best 
facilities,  because  across  the  mountain  ranges 
Xature  had  offered  tempting  natural  invita- 


THE   HOUR   AND   THE    MEN.          113 

tions  for  man's  handiwork,  and  because,  with 
such  close  connections  and  such  political  rela 
tions  and  such  vast  natural  advantages  to  be 
utilized  under  latest  modern  methods,  the 
Nicaragua  route  is  far  preferable  as  affording 
a  surety  that  the  results  sought  will  follow 
sensible  effort.  It  has  also  a  salubrious  coun 
try  of  large  extent,  capable  of  a  high  industrial 
development,  which  adds  a  local  factor  of 
safety  to  the  revenues  and  better  insures  its 
military  protection." 

"I  think  I  understand,"  said  Strong.  "I 
have  already  become  acquainted  through  your 
preliminary  reports,  with  the  nature  of  the 
situation  and  of  the  difficulties  to  be  over 
come.  How  soon  can  we  overcome  them? 
I'm  going  to  ask  a  great  many  questions." 

"Well,  I'll  try  to  answer  you,"  said  the  great 
engineer. 

The  other  thought  a  moment:  "Tell  me  as 
nearly  as  you  can  decide  at  once,  how  much 
money  and  how  much  time  will  be  required 
for  the  building  of  the  canal,  a  deep  war-ship 
canal,  taking  the  Nicaragua  route  across  the 
Isthmus." 

The  engineer  leaned  back  and  pressed  his 


M4  ARMAGEDDON. 

left  hand  upon  his  eyes,  lie-  reilected  for  per 
haps  two  minutes,  then  lie  said: 

"One  hundred  million  dollars,  and  fifteen 
hundred  days." 

The  Commissioner  was  pleased.  "That's 
\\hat  I  wanted,"  he  said.  "Just  sueli  an  an 
swer  to  just  such  a  proposition.  Xow,  sup 
pose  you  have  two  hundred  million  dollars 
to  operate  with,  within  how  short  a  time  can 
the  canal  he  built  ?" 

"Within  just  half  of  fifteen  hundred  days. 
That  is,  in  seven  hundred  and  fifty  days,"  said 
the  engineer. 

"With  four  hundved  million  dollars,"  said 
the  Commissioner,  and  he  had  risen  in  his  seat 
and  the  look  upon  his  face  was  becoming1 
mightily  earnest  now,  as  he  leaned  forward. 
"I  low  soon  can  you  do  it?" 

The  engineer  hesitated.  "L  can't  divide  the 
time  as  equally  as  before."  he  said.  "There  is 
a  limit  even  to  the  power  of  money.  There 
are  material  limitations  With  a  billion  dol 
lars  at  command  1  couldn't  build  a  canal  in  a 
month.  There  is  a  certain  point  where  the 
balance  comes.  Let  me  figure  on  this." 

r\  here  was  a  long1  pause  and  the  engineer 
made  many  computations.  Tie  spoke  at  last: 


THE    HOUR   AND   THE    MEN.  1 15 

"I  would  not  quite  guarantee  it,"  he  said, 
"with  my  present  brief  estimates,  but,  sup 
posing  the  financial  resources  to  be  absolutely 
unlimited,  the  work  might — mind  I  say  only 
'might' — be  rushed  through  in  eighteen 
months,  and  if  weather  conditions  are  favor 
able,  you  may  save  a  little  on  that,  or,  other 
wise,  lose  some.  But  lives  would  be  sacrificed 
and  millions  squandered  to  save  the  days." 

"Good!"  exclaimed  the  Commissioner, 
"Good!  It  shall  be  done.  Now  give  me  some 
details." 

"The  first  thing  to  be  done,"  said  the  en 
gineer,  "in  entering  upon  the  construction  of 
the  canal,  was  to  make  an  entrance  across  the 
bar  at  Greytown  into  the  lagoon.  This  bar 
had  a  depth  of  only  four  feet,  and  even  light 
erage  was  precarious.  The  lagoon  inside  had 
from  twelve  to  eighteen  feet  of  water.  This 
required  a  sea-going  dredge  and  some  pile 
drivers  and  a  quantity  of  piles  to  maintain  the 
sides  of  the  channel.  After  this  a  preliminary 
channel  was  to  be  made  to  a  depth  of  eighteen 
or  twenty  feet  and  a  dock  constructed  to  make 
it  feasible  for  the  ordinary  vessel  engaged  in 
the  Caribbean  trade  to  make  a  landing.  In 
the  meantime  the  eleven  miles  of  railway,  ex- 


n6  ARM. \CF.nnox. 

tending  from  the  landing  up  to  the  site  of  the 
first  lock  in  the  Dcseado  Valley.  \vas  to  he  re 
paired,  put  in  serviceable  condition,  extend 
ed  for  six  miles  up  to  the  main  divide  and  the 
rock  exposure  at  the  falls  of  the  Dcseado 
River.  We  have  done  the  work!" 

"That's  where  you  are  now?  What  next?" 
"We  have  begun  quarrying  at  the  falls  to 
get  stone  for  the  breakwaters.  A  dredge  is 
being  erected  at  the  site  of  the  first  lock  about 
ten  miles  from  the  sea  coast,  and  a  second 
dredge  lias  started  in  at  the  sea  shore,  and  a 
preliminary  cut  will  be  made  throughout  the 
length  of  the  tide-level  canal  across  the  Costal 
plain.  The  northern  breakwater,  extending 
for  a  mile  or  more  into  the  Caribbean,  has 
been  started  from  the  rock  quarried  at  the 
divide  cut." 

"How  about  the  work  toward  the  west?" 
"While  these  operations  are  being  initiated 
a  branch  railroad  line  is  being  extended  over 
to  the  San  Juan  Rive1,'  to  the  proposed  dam 
site  for  the  purpose  of  hauling  earth  and  rock 
from  the  divide  cut  and  depositing  the  same 
in  the  embankment  across  the  San  Juan  Val- 
lev." 


THE    HOUR   AND   THE    MEN.  117 

"That  I  suppose  will  largely  solve  the 
problem  of  transporting  the  supplies?" 

"Yes,  in  part.  The  existing  steamboats  on 
the  San  Juan  River  have  been  taking  some 
railroad  supplies  and  materials  up  the  stream 
for  the  purpose  of  constructing  a  railroad 
along  its  northern  bank  up  to  the  navigable 
waters  above  Toro,  which  are  virtually  an  ex 
tension  of  Lake  Nicaragua,  and  this  service 
is  soon  to  be  reinforced  by  tugs  and  barges. 

"This  railroad  will  be  extended  across  the 
main  divide  to  a  junction  with  the  railroad 
already  described,  as  soon  as  practicable,  so  as 
to  bring  Lake  Nicaragua  into  reliable  com 
munication  with  the  port  at  Greytown.  Tugs 
and  barges  will  also  be  placed  upon  the  lake 
to  take  sufficient  supplies  to  the  west  shore 
so  as  to  enable  a  harbor  to  be  constructed  at 
the  mouth  of  the  River  Lajas,  and  thence  a 
railroad  will  be  built  for  nineteen  miles  down 
to  the  Pacific  as  soon  as  possible." 

"Will  you  not  be  working  at  Brito?" 

"It  was  decided  to  send  a  sea-going  dredge 
around  Cape  Horn,  and  she  is  ready  to  start. 
This  is  for  the  purpose  of  opening  a  channel 
across  the  beach  at  Brito,  forming  a  prelimi 
nary  harbor  in  the  tidal  reach  of  the  Rio 


Il8  ARMAGEDDON. 

Grande  at  that  point.  The  object  is  to  pro 
duce  from  sea  to  sea  as  quickly  as  possible, 
a  line  of  transportation,  consisting  of  two 
pieces  of  railroad,  one  from  the  port  at  Grey- 
town  to  the  navigable  waters  of  Lake  Xicara- 
gua.  and  the  other  from  Lake  Nicaragua  to 
P>rito.  with  an  intermediate  car  ferry  system 
by  which  trains  can  be  run  from  sea  to  sea, 
connecting  at  the  two  ports  with  steamship 
lines  of  moderate  'onnage.  \\  hen  this  line  of 
transportation  has  been  provided  the  work  as 
a  wli(>le  can  be  undertaken.  While  this  line  of 
transportation  is  being  provided,  considerable 
progress  will  have  been  made  in  the  laying 
out  and  installing"  work  on  the  Atlantic  di 
vide — the  diversion  of  streams — so  as  to  per 
mit  dry  cuttings,  and  the  beginning  of  the 
embankment  across  the  valley." 

"Mow  about  this  diversion  of  streams?  Is 
it  an  important  feature?" 

"The  diversion  of  these  streams  will  be  a 
matter  of  great  moment  in  view  of  the  tre 
mendous  effects  of  probable  rainfall.  It  is 
work  which  must  be  done." 

"How  about  the  human  being's  to  be  util- 
ixed.  In  what  manner  will  they  be  fed  and 
sheltered?" 


THE    HOUR   AND   THE    MEN.  119 

"That  problem  is  one  of  the  most  import 
ant  but  easily  solvable.  Progress  has  already 
been  made  incidental  to  the  preliminary  work, 
buildings  must  be  put  up  for  housing  the 
workmen  and  a  hospital  service  organized,  and 
a  police  service  as  well.  This  is  not  money 
wasted.  The  advantage  of  rigid  provisions 
for  health  was  clearly  shown  in  the  history  of 
that  monster  work,  the  Sanitary  Canal  of  Chi 
cago,  where,  for  the  first  time  in  the  history 
of  great  public  works,  no  epidemic  disorders 
of  any  kind  occurred,  and  the  death  rate  was 
less  than  in  the  best  wards  of  Chicago,  not 
withstanding  an  average  force  of  seven  to 
eight  thousand  men  was  employed  for  three 
years,  with,  perhaps,  a  greater  number  of  non- 
workers  in  the  valley.  In  Nicaragua  these 
provisions  will  have  to  be  still  more  rigid,  ex 
tending1  to  the  point  of  sumptuary  laws  which 
shall  regulate,  in  a  measure,  the  conduct  of 
men,  and  put  the  alcoholic  liquor  traffic  under 
absolute  control.  No  one  thing  is  recognized 
as  so  detrimental  to  health  in  tropical  coun 
tries  as  the  unrestrained  liquor  habit. 

"It  is  supposed,  also,"  continued  Savage, 
"'that  in  the  clearing  out  of  the  work  there 
will  be  a  free  zone  from  sea  to  sea,  where  there 


120  ARMAGEDDON. 

shall  l>c  no  tan  IT  restrictions,  and  where  all 
shall  lie  under  the  absolute  police  and  sanitary 
control  of  those  \\l\a  are  carrying  out  the 
work.  This  is  a  requisite." 

"Do  you  feel  confident,"  said  Strong,  look 
ing  Savage  squarely  in  the  face,  "do  you  feel 
confident  that  you  are  the  man  for  the  place? 
It  may  be  that  I  know  you  are,  but  that 
doesn't  matter.  Are  you  sure  that  you  are 
the  man  to  work  with  me  in  a  way  that  is  prac 
tically  certain  of  success,  for  two  nations?" 

The  engineer's  moustache  quivered  a  fHtle, 
and  he  spoke  somewhat  emphatically: 

''I,  and  1  alone,  know  best  what  is  to  be 
done  and  how  to  do  it.  If  you  don't  believe 
it,  you  and  the  two  nations  may  go  to  -  — . 
P>ut  I  won't  make  a  fool  of  myself  if  1  can  help 
it.  I  haven't  helped  it  always.  Hut  i  know 
what  I'm  talking  about." 

Strong,  the  dominant,  was  mightily  pleased, 
lie  reached  out  his  hand  to  Savage.  "I 
haven't  any  doubt,"  he  said,  "but  1  wanted  to 
be  sure  that  you  were  sure  of  yourself.  Xow, 
shall  we  do  new  things?  Will  there  be 
come  necessarv  the  adoption  of  new  methods, 
recourse  to  new  devices,  if  we  are  to  attain 
certain  ends  within  a  certain  time?  Will  the 


THE    HOUR   AND   THE    MEN.  121 

method  of  the  work  in  any  way  be  so  experi 
mental  as  to  involve  a  risk? 

"Hardly,  with  the  element  of  economy 
eliminated.  What  would  be  folly,  commer 
cially  speaking,  is  folly  no  longer.  But  there 
are  limitations  to  overcome.  The  expense  in 
volved  will  be  stupendous.  For  instance,  there 
must  be  an  enormous  concentration  of  ap 
pliances  and  labor  in  the  three  miles  of  the 
eastern  divide.  Here  the  force  cannot  be 
increased  beyond  a  certain  point  without 
slight  return  for  great  expenditure,  and  even 
a  double-track  railroad  service  from  either  end 
and  with  all  the  switches  that  it  may  be 
feasible  to  locate  will  not  be  adequate  for 
handling  the  material  out  of  this  cut  in  a  short 
time. 

"The  element  of  embankment  across  the 
valley  is  also  most  formidable,  requiring  the 
movement  of  vast  quantities  of  material,  as 
well  as  time  for  the  same  to  become  settled 
and  compacted  so  as  to  be  safe.  As  the  in 
tegrity  of  the  entire  project  depends  upon  the 
faithful  carrying  out  of  this  embankment 
work,  it  is  a  matter  that  cannot  be  slighted. 

"Again,  after  the  main  work  is  fully  or 
ganized,  it  will  be  feasible  to  inaugurate  night 


122  ARMAGEDDON. 

work.  This  will  not  double  the  output  be 
cause  ni^'lit  work  is  less  efficient  than  (lav 
work,  and  the  whole  period  of  twenty-four 
hours  cannot  be  utilized  in  actual  working,  as 
time  periods  of  rest  are  required  which  are- 
taken  advantage  of  to  clean  boilers,  overhaul 
and  inspect  machinery  and  make  temporary- 
repairs,  so,  at  the  best,  the  actual  manual 
\\orkinc;'  period  cannot  be  quite  cut  in  half. 
Hut  1  clin^-  to  my 'proposition." 

"\\V11  accept  it!"  almost  shouted  the  Com 
missioner  as  he  sprang  to  his  feet,  "and  we'll 
show  the  world  how  work  is  done.  I  believe 
in  you  and  1  hope  yf/a'll  come  to  believe  in 
me.  Money  an'l  men  are  mine  to-  provide. 
Yon  shall  have  them.  Extraordinary  utiliza 
tion  of  forces  is  yours.  1  have  no  doubts!'' 
And  the  men  shook  hands. 


A  HEMISPHERE  SPLIT.  123 


CHAPTER  X. 
HOW  A   HEMISPHERE  WAS   SPLIT. 

And  then  began  the  battle  of  man  with  the 
material.  Then  began  the  struggle  of  two 
strong  men  with  the  forces  of  nature.  Then 
began  the  ripping  of  a  way  across  a  hemi 
sphere.  There  was  no  rest  for  man  or  beast. 
Understanding  each  other,  relying  upon  each 
other,  Strong  and  Savage  worked  together 
in  a  way  titanic,  and  their  spirit  infused  itself 
into  all  beings  about  them,  into  subordinate 
officials,  into  contractors  whose  fortunes  were 
at  stake  and  even  into  the  laborers  who  dug 
and  delved.  It  was  a  magnificent  exhibition 
of  what  the  spirit  of  conquest  is.  It  was  a  time 
of  tearing. 

While  it  was  fine  it  was  a  strain,  but  there 
was  no  lack  in  the  contagion  of  desire  for 
doing  things.  Even  I,  burdened  with  a  thou 
sand  clerical  duties,  became  as  fierce  an  en 
thusiast  as  any  one  of  the  hosts  gathered  be 
tween  the  two  oceans  and  talked  loudly  and 
hopefully  after  supper.  Already  Savage  had 


1^4          ARMAGEDDON. 

some  seven  thousand  men  at  work;  already 
the  harbor  on  the  Atlantic1  Coast  had  been 
made  practicable  and  the  railroa.d  was  in  good 
shape  from  the  harbor  to  the  base  of  the  first 
runted  operation.  Nothing  had  been  done  at 
the  west  end  of  the  canal,  but  the  threat  dredge, 
the  biggest  ever  made,  sailed  the  next  dav  to 
make  the  perilous  trip  around  the  I  lorn  and, 
if  it  survived  the  passage,  to  do  its  work  at 
Brito. 

It  was  quite  an  event  that  morning  when 
the  Musquash,  for  so  the  great  dredge  had 
been  christened,  left  the  harbor.  She  was  an 
enormous  tiling,  very  broad  and  very  lone;' 
and  with  great  s-'ca-riding  capacity  and  she  was 
towed  by  one  of  the  fastest  and  most  powerful 
and  seaworthy  tugs  in  all  the  world,  yet  the 
outcome  of  her  trip  was  a  doubtful  thing.  The 
seas  are  high  and  the  winds  arc  sharp  and  the 
rocks  are  treacherous  off  the  southern  point  of 
the  Western  Hemisphere;  nevertheless  the 
tug  and  the  Musquash  sailed  away  as  gal 
lantly  as  if  they,  combined,  were  some  great 
warship  going  off  to  subdue  some  little  re 
bellion  somewhere.  Perhaps  it  is  as  well  here 
as  in  another  place  to  tell  the  brief  story  of 
their  journey.  They  reached  with  much  tribu- 


A   HEMISPHERE  SPLIT.  125 

lation,  but  with  no  great  mishap,  the  south 
end  of  the  eastern  coast  of  South  America. 
Then  came  the  life-risking  turning  of  the  cold, 
turbulent  corner,  the  accomplishment  of  which 
meant  a  haven  and  success.  The  story  of  that 
turning  I  heard  later  from  the  captain  of  the 
tug. 

The  seas  were  mountainous,  but  the  great 
tug  was  stanch  and  the  huge  steel  cable  the 
best  ever  made,  and  as  for  the  Musquash  she 
was  so  long  that  she  reached  across  from 
wave  to  wave,  and  so  broad  that  she  couldn't 
capsize  under  any  ordinary  circumstances. 
She  wallowed  and  sloshed  around  beyond  all 
possible  wallowing  of  even  the  great  warship 
Oregon  in  its  famous  trip  in  the  Spanish  war 
time.  The  tug  did  reasonably  well,  and  the 
big  dredge  plunged  while  prayers  were  being 
said  by  the  few  members  of  its  crew  who  were 
sufficiently  religious;  and  it  made  the  dreaded 
curve.  It  rose  up  and  dipped  down  the  moun 
tainous  billows  of  the  Horn  and  didn't  sink, 
and  eventually,  after  much  floundering,  bulged 
its  way  around  until  its  nose  sought  the  north 
and  then  came  gradually  day  by  day  into 
calmer  waters.  Then  those  upon  it  knew  they 
had  but  to  labor  patiently  to  the  northward 


120  ARMAGEDDON. 

across  great  la/y  waves  to  the  port  of  destiny, 
where,  with  its  aid,  a  great  work  was  to  be 
done. 

Hut  the  trip  of  the  Musquash  was  merely  an 
incident  of  the  undertaking.  The  harbor  had 
IK.VP.  completed  and  so  had  the  railroad  to  the 
foot-hills.  Kven  the  docks  were  in  compara 
tively  good  condition,  and  vessels  sailing  in 
ward  from  the  sea  might  be  sure  of  ample 
soundings.  The  railroad  was  in  comparatively 
decent  shape  up  to  the  site  of  the  first  lock 
where  great  work  was  to  be  done  in  the  I)e- 
seado  Valley.  Xow  the  quarrying  at  the  falls 
was  to  begin  and  the  canal  dug  tiercel}-  south- 
westward  across-  the  Costal  plain.  Xe\v  sub 
contractors  from  all  about  the  world  were 
gathered;  steps  were  taken  for  augmenting 
wisely,  but  on  a  tremendous  scale,  the  army  of 
men  already  at  work.  The  telegraph  was 
working  night  and  day.  for  the  mail  was  too 
slow  a  thing  for  such  an  undertaking.  \Yith 
it  all  there  were  a  thousand  curious  blunders 
from  the  beginning,  though  they  did  not 
count  in  the  end. 

There  came  the  sub-contractors  who  had 
invented  their  thousands  and  who  had  made 
va<t  gambles.  Thev  came  there,  arrogant  and 


A   HEMISPHERE  SPLIT.  127 

overbearing,  from  Chicago  and  New  York, 
even  from  England,  red-faced  and  full-bellied, 
and  hard  headed  hirers  of  working-men  by  the 
thousand,  and  they  came  down  like  the  As 
syrian  with  his  purple  and  gold,  and  the  man 
ner  in  which  the  demeanor  of  these  great  con 
tractors  was  changed  within  a  day  or  two  was 
a  sight  for  gods  and  men.  They  had  done  this 
and  that,  while  the  temperature  had  played 
with  and  petted  them  and  their  men  all  the  way 
between  100  above  and  10  below  zero.  It  was 
different  now.  They  came,  as  they  thought, 
knowing  all  about  the  business.  They  had 
still  something  to  learn.  They  had  to  learn 
that  there  is  a  difference  between  a  heavily 
booted  and  heavily  undershirted  spade-hand 
ling  person  of  the  temperate  zone  and  another 
spade-handler,  more  dusky,  with  no  overplus 
of  energy  or  industry,  and  with  nothing  on 
him  but  an  excellent  head  of  hair  and  part  of  a 
pair  of  trousers.  But  they  were  worthy  of 
consideration,  this  army  of  sub-contractors, 
these  men  who  had  done  things,  and  what 
followed  their  advent  was  curious  and  good. 

Dominant  over  all  were  Strong  and  Savage; 
dominant  beneath  them  were  the  great  origi 
nal  contractors,  earnest  and  enthusiastic  but 


i-'S  ARM  AGE n DON. 

fortune-seeking  and  having  legal  rights  which 
could  not  be  easily  gainsaid.  Of  course  they 
could  and  would  have  been  swept  away  like 
straws  when  came  the  Commissioner  repre 
senting  the  two  nations,  had  that  been  neces 
sary,  but  as  it  was,  they  were  looked  upon  as 
valuable  and  intelligent  factors  in  the  accom 
plishment  of  the  enterprise  and  as  men  whose 
reward  must  necessarily  be  great.  Recogniz 
ing  the  outcome,  and  subordinating  them 
selves  readily,  they  were,  without  exception, 
vigorous  and  practical  helpers  from  the  begin 
ning  to  the  end. 

From  Strong  and  Savage  flamed  out  the 
understanding  that  a  certain  militarism  must 
be  followed,  and  T  feel  proud  in  saying  that 
I  myself  was  a  most  ferocious  sort  of  adjutant 
general  in  distributing  all  commands.  But  a 
little  time  passed  before  from  Strong,  the 
head,  representing  government,  and  Savage, 
the  general  in  the  field,  came  an  understand 
ing  to  the  lowliest  native  water-carrier  at  any 
point  on  hill-side  or  in  valley,  in  all  the  way 
between  the  oceans,  that  any  sort  of  order 
must  be  obeyed  unquestioningly,  whether  it 
were  an  order  for  men  to  risk  their  lives  in 
certain  undermining  or  an  order  to  prolong 


A   HEMISPHERE  SPLIT.  129 

their  lives  by  observing  certain  laws  of  cleanli 
ness  and  taking  certain  medicines  when  so 
commanded. 

They  came,  the  Porto  Ricans,  on  colliers 
and  on  transports,  earnest  and  preposterously 
enthusiastic  Americans,  though  under  the 
American  flag  so  briefly,  brown  and  hardened 
and  lazy,  adapted  to  the  climate,  which  was 
almost  theirs,  but  as  yet  unaccustomed  to  con 
tinuous  work  throughout  the  day  and  not  at 
all  to  working  in  the  night,  though  as  the 
event  proved,  they  more  than  met  the  ex 
pectation.  They  were  housed  and  fed  and 
cared  for  as  they  had  never  been  housed  and 
fed  and  cared  for  before.  Notwithstanding 
the  tremendous  physical  labor  required  of 
them,  and  forced  from  them,  they  thrived  un 
der  it  physically,  and  acquired  under  it,  de 
spite  themselves,  what  was  to  them,  individu 
ally,  a  fortune.  They  and  the  others,  the  half 
naked  laborers,  in  mud  and  rock  and  sun  and 
shade  were  not  those  to  whom  came  the  great 
est  mortality.  That  came  to  the  men  who 
overlooked  them,  to  the  men  with  transit,  and 
theodolite  and  pith  helmet,  to  the  young, 
enthusiastic  sub-engineers  from  America 
and  England,  all  of  whom  worked  careless  of 


130  ARMAGEDDON. 

hours  or  weather,  many  of  whom  drank  too 
often  and  too  deeply  of  bad  water  and  strong 
liquors;  and  those  who  diet!  earned  fairly, 
though  they  lost  it,  such  recompense  as  came 
ultimately  to  those  who  lived. 

Ah!  but  we  worked,  and  we  worked  all 
along  the  line  and  the  onslaught  began  at 
the  cast  and  midway  and  upon  the  Pacific 
Coast.  Before  the  Musquash  had  poked  her 
triumphant,  but  unhandsome  nose  into  the 
water  to  assist  in  transforming  it  into  P>rito 
harbor,  there  had  come  from  San  Francisco 
all  that  the  gTeat  dredge  needed  in  the  further 
ance  of  her  work,  ryid  there  had  also  reached 
I'rito  vast  supplies  and  five  thousand  men. 
Savage's  second  in  the  engineering  work,  one 
James  Cromwell,  fit  in  force  and  stubbornness 
to  be  ranked  with  his  old  namesake  Oliver, 
was  there  to  take  command,  and  there  with 
unlimited  resources  supplied  from  San  Fran 
cisco  for  use  as  early  as  we  could  make  con 
nection  across  the  Isthmus. 

They  made  their  harbor,  Cromwell  and  his 
forces,  a  harbor  which  was  a  real  one,  and 
they  dug  and  dammed  and  hurried  frantically 
to  meet  us  when  we  should  have  reached  the 
eastern  crust,  upholding  Lake  Nicaragua. 


A   HEMISPHERE   SPLIT.  131 

Their  work  was  as  good  as  ours.  Once,  just 
after  our  temporary  transportation  system  had 
been  established,  Cromwell  sent  to  Savage  the 
curt  message: 

''I  can  use  five  thousand  more  men." 
He  had  them  within  two  weeks.  He  had 
provided  for  them,  and  for  their  work  all 
things  necessary,  and  he  doubled  his  results. 
He  met  us  fairly  at  the  down-dip  of  the  west 
ern  slope. 

So  they  fought  toward  the  lake  well,  those 
fellows  on  the  Pacific  side,  and  we  upon  the 
eastern  slope,  who  were  straining  every  nerve 
to  send  to  them  every  day  all  they  could  need 
in  their  hurrying  enterprise,  sent  to  them  at 
the  same  time  jeering  and  contemptuous  com 
ments,  telling  them  that  they  had  not  compre 
hended  the  first  principles  of  digging  canals 
or  riding  over  mountain  crests,  or  diverting 
rivers  or  crossing  lakes.  In  return  would 
come  from  Cromwell  the  most  insolent  and 
at  the  same  lime  supplicating  messages.  He 
would  defy  his  superiors  to  their  teeth,  and 
in  the  same  breath  ask  for  enormous  masses 
of  fresh  supplies  and  working  men.  Crom 
well  was  a  man.  I  Ic  was  just  the  five  foot  and 
eight-and-one-half  inches  of  entity  to  come  up 


I32  ARMAGEDDON. 

with  a  rush  from  the  Pacific  to  Lake  Nicara 
gua  and  leave  a  great  canal  behind  him.  lie 
was  a  man.  I  le  died  six  weeks  after  his  work 
was  accomplished. 

As  for  us  on  the  eastern  side,  who  were  play 
ing  a  greater  game,  we  were  squandering 
money  and  yet  we  were  not  squandering  it. 
Where  a  thousand  men,  as  we  wedged  them, 
could  do  more  swiftly  the  work  of  a  hundred 
with  more  room,  \Ve  hired  them  and  imported 
them.  We  diverted  the  rivers,  we  made  our 
dams  and  we  did  the  work  as  lastingly  as  if 
we  had  taken  years  for  its  accomplishment. 

We  clustered  our  thousands  on  the  great 
rock'  saddles  holding  the  lake  from  the  low 
lands,  as  bees,  when  swarming,  are  clustered 
on  a  hive,  and  along  our  ways  of  transport 
the  locomotives  snorted,  not  upon  the  two 
tracks  Savage  had  talked  of,  but  on  six.  At 
every  available  point  where  a  man  could  work 
a  man  was  working.  Between  the  two 
oceans  were  gathered  as  many  human  beings 
of  the  acclimated  sort  as  could  labor  without 
one  being  in  another's  way. 

Strong  raged  and  hurried  and  brought  his 
men  in  tens  of  thousands.  Savage  raged  and 
hurried  and  compelled  his  lieutenants,  en- 


A    HEMISPHERE   SPLIT.  133 

ginccrs  of  standing"  from  two  continents,  to 
force  the  contractors  into  accomplishing  the 
ends  sought  here  or  there  within  certain  days 
and  certain  hours.  It  was  wonderful.  There 
was  an  infectiousness  to  the  vigor  in  the  air. 
\Ye  made  our  way  and  we  made  it  well  and 
permanently,  from  the  completed  water  high 
way  on  the  level  to  the  first  lock  and  so  on 
forward  to  the  lake.  After  the  carriage  af 
forded  by  our  first  temporary  highway  from 
sea  to  sea,  we  literally  climbed  and  ripped  our 
way  from  the  Atlantic  plain  to  the  Lake  Nica 
ragua  level.  \Ye  made  our  own  lakes  and  our 
locks  as  the  great  engineer  had  defined  the 
work,  and  there  came  at  last  a  day  when  we 
knew  we  could  lift  the  greatest  warship  from 
the  Greytown  harbor  into  Nicaragua  Lake 
and  from  there  let  her  down  easily  and  gently 
into  the  Pacific  Ocean! 

The  canal  was  done  and  it  was  a  good  one, 
a  waterway  to  last  through  all  the  ages,  the 
result  of  an  enterprise  to  affect  the  boun 
daries  and  the  welfare  of  the  nations. 

So  the  oceans  were  joined.  So  was  made 
a  road  across  a  half  world  for  the  warship  and 
the  merchantman.  Ten  thousand  miles  of 
weary  travel  around  an  inhospitable  coast  was 


saved  to  the  mariner.  The  ship-  of  the  United 
States  rind  (Ireut  Britain  had  read}'  for  them  a 
smooth  pathway  from  sea  to  sea  and  now 
could  sail  around  the  globe  at  will  and  with 
out  delay. 

Millions  of  treasure  and  priceless  human 
lives  had  been  expended  in  the  gigantic  work 
of  making  this  pathway  for  mankind,  but  not 
in  vain.  Because  of  it  bread  shall  be  plentiful 
throughout  the  world.  Famine  shall  cease  to 
threaten  any  branch  of  mankind,  for  the  gran 
aries  of  the  North  American  Continent  can 
now  pour  their  treasures  into  ^hips,  which, 
sailing  from  the  great  lakes  and  long  rivers 
into  the  ocean,  will  find  a  way  ready  for  them 
to  the  Pacific.  The  sea  which  bears  the  navies 
of  the  world  on  its  bosom  so  lightly — the  sea 
— the  great  carrier  of  man's  burdens — exacts 
no  such  tribute  of  money  as  does  man's  con 
trivance  of  two  parallel  liars  of  steel  upon 
which  roll  great  wagons  drawn  by  steam. 

The  great  work  was  finished  and  the  peo 
ple  of  Kngland  and  the  United  States  were 
ready  to  congratulate  Strong  and  Savage  on 
the  completion  of  their  tremendous  task.  But 
the  celebration  never  came.  Before  the  two 
great  powers  had  time  to  dedicate  the  canal 


A    HEMISPHERE   SPLIT.  135 

with  appropriate  ceremonies  and  rejoicings, 
it  was  opened  by  the  grim  hand  of  war. 
Threatening  iron  ships  were  hurried  along  the 
new  water  way  under  orders  to  the  ocean  in 
which  they  were  to  meet  and  give  battle,  and 
so.  without  speech-making  or  banqueting,  the 
career  of  the  Nicaragua  Canal  as  a  stern  factor 
in  the  history  of  the  world  began. 


136  ARMAGEDDON. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

TIIK    MUSTER. 

The  world  is  made  of  land  and  water,  and 
of  it  water  is  three-fourths,  if  we  may  believe 
our  geography  lessons.  The  water  has,  with 
modern  ships,  become  as  traversable  as  the 
land,  and  the  encounters  of  war  forces,  it  was 
thought  but  lately  by  the  wise,  must  be  chiefly 
fought  upon  the  seas.  The  water  owners  must 
be  the  world's  owner-s.  Xo  more  may  the 
greatest  of  struggles  be  upon  the  laud.  Xo 
longer  lies  Armageddon — where  the  nations 
battle— in  the  vale  of  Ksdraelon.  It  lies  where 
the  sea-fields  give  deep  soundings. 

(  hie  night,  in  .Apia,  in  Samoa,  a  native  girl 
came  down  a  pathway.  Coming  up  the  path- 
v,  ay  were  seamen  from  warships  in  the  harbor. 
There  were  three  groups,  the  first  German, 
the  second  American  and  the  third  English. 
They  were  all  on  their  way  to  a  drinking  place 
in  the  foot-hills.  The  girl  coming  down, 
though  brown,  was  clear-skinned  and  full 
breasted,  and  there  were  red  llowers  in  her 


THE    MUSTER.  137 

hair.  A  German  sailor,  looking  lustingly 
upon  her,  made  a  dash  and  seized  her  in  his 
arms.  An  American  sailor,  none  too  unready 
for  a  fight,  leaped  forward  to  the  rescue  and 
there  was  trouble,  and  other  German  sailors 
came  to  the  assistance  of  their  comrade.  The 
American  group  was  the  smaller  of  the  two. 
It  was  not  equal  to  a  third  of  its  opponents 
and  affairs  were  becoming  unpleasant  for  the 
Yankees  when  the  English  sailers  in  the  rear, 
coming  upon  the  scene  and  delighting  in  the 
prospect  of  a  row,  plunged  in  to  aid  their  kins 
men.  There  was  a  most  spirited  battle  upon 
the  Samoan  way.  In  the  midst  of  it  the  Ger 
man  sailor  who  had  seized  the  girl  had  faced 
his  first  adversary,  while  the  girl  fled  toward 
the  forest.  There  was  a  bout  but  of  a  moment 
between  these  two  men,  and  then,  in  some  un 
fortunate  way,  the  hard  fist  of  the  American 
sailor  caught  the  head  of  the  German  just  be 
neath  his  ear,  and  the  man  thus  smitten  fell 
to  the  ground,  stone  dead.  After  the  fighting 
was  over  and  the  dead  man  was  buried  by  his 
comrades,  a  sullen  spirit  held  sway  among  the 
Germans,  while  the  English  and  Americans 
were  boastful.  There  were  sharp  meetings  be 
tween  the  German  and  American  and  English 


I, Vs  ARMAGEDDON. 

consuls,  and  warships  which  could  be  called 
upon  came  and  went.  The  attrition  made  a 
raw  place.  Out  of  necessity  the  matter  was 
referred  to  the  home  governments,  where  the 
first  sore  became  a  broadening  gangrene. 

Meanwhile,  one  day  in  the  waters  close  by 
Hongkong,  an  English  ship,  outbound  and 
laden  with  teas,  was  run  into  by  an  incoming 
French  cruiser  and  the  English  ship  went 
down  with  all  on  board.  The  correspondence 
which  ensued  between  the  British  and  Erench 
authorities  lacked  all  smoothness.  The  inci 
dent  was  as  if  someone  had  put  a  seltzer- 
like  powder  into  water.  There  was  a  foaming. 

Then  came  trouble  of  a  serious  nature  be 
tween  Russia  and  Japan  and  the  United  States 
over  privileges  in  the  Philippines  granted  by 
the  latter  country  to  the  Island  nation,  trou 
ble  of  a  diplomatic  nature  only  in  the  begin 
ning, but  which  developed  into  something  seri 
ous.  The  usual  oiling  processes  of  diplomacy 
failed  to  ease  the  friction.  There  were  harsh 
passages  and  the  scratched  Russian  showed 
the  Tartar.  All  foresaw  the  inevitable.  It 
was  then  came  the  Anglo-American  alliance, 
if  such  it  may  be  called. 

Blood  relationship  and    self-interest    com- 


THE    MUSTER.  139 

bined  to  promote  the  coalition.  The  unpleas 
ant  past  was  forgotten,  just  as  the  Americans 
had  forgotten  the  spirit  which  rose  when 
North  and  South  were  arrayed  against  each 
other,  and  now  thought  of  all  that  had  taken 
place  since  1812  rose  vividly  in  the  minds  of 
each  of  the  two  peoples.  To  Americans  came 
thought  of  the  time  in  1815  when  the  "Holy 
Alliance"  of  Russia,  Austria  and  Prussia 
threatened  and  England  balked  its  far-reach 
ing  plans;  as  came  thought  more  earnest  still 
of  the  same  helpful  friendship  which,  in  the  be 
ginning  of  the  Spanish-American  war,  balked 
the  ajiti-American  alliance  so  nearly  formed. 
No  Englishman  forgot  the  day,  in  1857, 
when  bluff  old  Captain  Josiah  Tatnall, 
commanding  the  American  squadron  in 
Asiatic  waters,  saw  the  British  vessels  over 
matched  in  battle  with  the  Peiho  forts 
and,  walking  his  deck  impatiently,  finally 
roared  out  the  now  historic  sentence:  "Blood 
is  thicker  than  water,"  and,  in  flagrant  viola 
tion  of  all  laws  of  neutrality,  took  his  vessel 
sturdily  into  the  action  and  was,  in  the  end, 
forgiven  by  his  government.  None  forgot 
the  day  in  1870  when  there  came  to  the  Brit 
ish  Captain  Lorraine,  of  the  Niobe,  lying  in 


140  ARMAGEDDON. 

Jamaica  harbor,  news  of  the  Yirginius  butch 
ery  and  \vhen,  tearing  up  his  anchor,  and  land 
ing  at  Santiago  before  the  tragedy  was  com 
pleted,  lie  threatened  to  bombard  the  city, 
and  so  saved  the  lives  of  the  Americans  not 
yet  murdered.  None  forgot  the  dreadful  day 
in  Apia  harbor,  when  ships  were  going  down 
before  the  hurricane  and  from  the  Trenton 
and  Calliope  the  I'ritish  and  Americans  cheer 
ed  each  other  in  the  face  of  death.  Xone  failed 
to  remember  the  events  of  the  bombardment 
of  Alexandria,  nor  did  those  of  the  navies  es 
pecially  forget  the  incidents  of  a  thousand 
hardy  rescues  and  a  thousand  seamen's  frays 
in  port.  There  were  potent  ties  of  marriage, 
too.  and  immediate  kinship  and.  above  all,  the 
instinct  of  a  common  language,  code  of  laws, 
religion  and  education  and  plan  for  the  world's 
future.  It  was  "Hands  all  round,"  as  Tenny 
son  had  written: 

"Gi^rmtic  daughter  of  the  West, 

\Ve  drink  to  tltee  across  the  flood, 
We  know  thee  most,  we  love  thee  best, 

For  art  tliou  not  of  Ilritish  blood? 
Should  war's  mad  blast  again  be  blown, 

Permit  not  th<>n  the  tyrant  powers 
To  fight  thy  mother  here  alone, 

But  let  thy  broadsides  roar  with  ours. 


THE   MUSTER.  I41 

Hands  all  round! 

God  the  tyrant's  cause  confound! 
To  our  great  kinsmen  of  the  West,  my  friends, 
And  the  great  name  of  England  round  and  round." 

The  terms  of  the  combination  were  not  strict 
and  made  rather  an  agreement  than  an  al 
liance  offensive  and  defensive.  It  was  defen 
sive  alone.  Neither  nation  feared  any  other 
single  nation  on  the  face  of  the  earth,  but  it 
was  agreed  that  if  either  Great  Britain  or  the 
United  States  were  attacked  by  more  than  one 
nation,  resistance  should  be  mutual.  No  aid 
was  implied  in  any  war  where  either  the  United 
States  or  Great  Britain  was  the  assailant.  A 
regard  for  the  provisions  of  the  Bulwer-Clay- 
ton  treaty  already  gave  each  equal  rights  in 
the  use  of  the  Nicaragua  Canal,  though  this 
had  been  more  definitely  agreed  upon  in  a 
later  arrangement.  But  blood  and  the  trade 
of  Asia  were  the  telling  factors,  blood  first. 
Now  conditions  made  the  alliance  active. 
Warm  were  the  Atlantic  cables.  The  forces 
were  ranging  themselves.  All  civilized  hu 
manity  knew  what  would  be  the  dividing  lines, 
the  lines  between  the  Latin  and  its  divergent 
races,  still  living  in  a  past,  still  constant  in  the 
sort  of  slavery  which  comes  when  church  may 


14-          ARMAGEDDON. 

interfere  with  state — between  these  and  all  the 
hranehes  from  the  Teutonic  stem.  There  was 
uncertainty  as  to  what  would  happen.  The 
nations  must  look  out  for  themselves.  The 
issue  was  defined  upon  the  instant  because 
the  circumstances  leading  to  the  definition  had 
been  in  a  wavering  equation  for  years.  It  was 
only  understood  that  the  nations  would  be  ar 
rayed  against  each  other  cleanly  and  distinctly, 
and  that  a  threat  strui^le  was  to  be^in.  Xor- 
way,  Sweden,  Denmark  and  Holland,  all  races 
of  seamen,  knew  their  place  and  took  it. 

The  Japanese,  that  strange  new  develop 
ment  from  an  ancient  stock,  were  swiftest  of 
all  in  their  formation  for  the  emergency. 
They  had  been  working  well  upon  their  navy 
and  it  was  disproportionately  lar^e.  consider 
ing"  the  resources  of  the  Island  Kmpire.  but 
was  well  officered  and  well  provided  and  a 
powerful  factor  to  be  considered.  It  was  soon 
in  shape  and  the  noses  of  thirty  warships  point 
ed  at  once  for  the  western  entrance  to  the 
Xicara^'ua  Canal. 

It  was  wonderful,  the  manner  in  which 
those  little  Japs  conducted  themselves.  'I "here 
was  work  upon  land  as  well  as  sea;  there  was 
suift  accumulation  in  their  coast  cities  of  vast 


THE   MUSTER.  143 

stores  to  support  any  army,  and  a  land  force 
of  one  hundred  thousand  men,  well  equipped 
and  wild  with  enthusiasm,  with  transports 
awaiting  them,  was  organized  within  so  short 
a  time  that  it  puzzled  the  generals  of  other  na 
tions.  The  new-old  country  set  a  pace  that 
was  barely  equaled  by  the  civilization  it  had 
but  lately  imitated.  Then  came  in,  too,  a  new 
element — one  not  heretofore  much  considered 
in  the  affairs  of  the  world — the  great  Austral 
asian  force. 

They  have  money  in  Sidney  and  they  have 
money  in  Melbourne  and  in  half  a  thousand 
other  places,  and  they  have  money  away  back 
in  the  reaches  where  men  have  bred  sheep  and 
other  animals,  and  have  made  Australia  but  a 
second  United  States.  Better  yet,  they  have 
men,  and  the  manner  in  which  these  Austral 
ians  came  to  the  front  was  beautiful  to  see. 

They  had  owned  no  navy  heretofore,  but 
the  Anglo-Saxon,  tossed  away  into  strange 
lands,  always  develops  an  inventive  genius, 
as  the  Yankee  has — and  the  Australian  is  but 
a  Yankee.  The  Australian  is  lank  and  lean, 
and  inquiring  and  knowing,  and  it  is  best  not 
to  oppose  him,  and  the  manner  in  which  he 
made  a  naw  swiftlv,  or,  rather,  the  manner 


144  ARMAGEDDON. 

in  which  ho  had  made  a  navy  a  year  or  two 
earlier  than  was  really  needed,  looking  for  con 
tingencies,  will  ever  he  one  of  the  fine  thing- 
told  in  the  history  of  the  world.  The  Aus 
tralian  navy  sailed  proudly  for  the  western 
end  of  the  Xicaragna  Canal  as  the  great 
Japanese  squadron  loft  its  home  port.  And 
South  Africa  sent  a  warship  and  a  little  army. 

Canada  had  heen  at  work.  The  great  Do 
minion,  now  hand  in  hand  with,  and  assisted 
hy  its  neighhor  across  the  border,  had  built 
its  own  warships — and  the}"  were  good  ones 
—and  had  built  them  on  the  Atlantic  coast 
where  they  were  immediately  available.  Hali 
fax  fairly  blossomed  with  the  efflorescence  of 
thirteen-inchers,  and  half  a  hundred  places 
along  the  Canadian-Atlantic  coast  were  as  ap 
prehensive  as  were  half  a  thousand  along  the 
American-Atlantic  coast  lest  disaster  should 
come  to  thorn  in  the  event  of  a  wrong  ending 
to  a  great  war. 

As  for  the  gathering  of  the  British  forces 
upon  the  water,  there  is  but  little  to  be  said. 
Throughout  the  later  centuries  Croat  Britain 
has  ridden  the  seas  well  and  knows  its  path 
ways  thoroughly.  X<>w  she  swittlv  gathered 
her  vast  armament,  seeking  onlv  for  her  aid  the 


THE   MUSTER.  145 

sea-going  armament  of  her  kinsmen;  and  the 
admirals  planned  together. 

The  Latin  combination  was  strong  and  one 
cannot  but  in  a  way  respect  its  coherence, 
even  in  its  decadence.  Milliards  were  spent 
upon  the  navy  of  France;  it  was  vast  and  well 
equipped  and  in  any  of  the  casual  evolutions 
of  any  one  of  its  parts,  a  striking  thing  to  look 
upon.  But,  somehow,  rarely  has  the  Latin 
fought  wisely  upon  the  water.  A  great  navy 
had  France  gathered  together  in  competition 
with  that  of  the  ambitious  German  Emperor, 
who  had  taxed  his  subjects  more  deeply  after 
the  navy  became  his  fad,  and  had  built  a  fleet 
of  warships  by  no  means  to  be  ignored,  even 
by  Great  Britain. 

Meanwhile  Austria  had  done  her  best.  Un 
willing  taxes  from  subjects  who  disagreed  be 
tween  themselves,  from  Slav  and  Czech  and 
German,  had  brought  in  their  vast  returns,  and 
the  navy  represented  the  still  vast  importance 
of  an  empire  dwindled  by  lack  of  force  at  its 
head,  a  force  diminished  by  devoteeism  and 
inter-marriage;  but  they  had  a  navy  of  good 
battleships,  manned  by  those  who  could  fight 
not  deftly,  but  to  the  death. 

The  Italian  added  a  more  dangerous  force. 
10 


I4()  ARMAGEDDON. 

l!v  great  exertions,  though  impoverished,  the 
Italian  Government  had  become  possessed  of 
a  navy  which  was  excellent.  Its  ships  were 
not  numerous,  but  they  were  modern,  well 
equipped  and  well  manned.  The  navy  of  Italy 
was  one  of  the  elements  most  considered  by 
the  naval  commanders  of  the  Anglo-Saxons 
who  were  to  meet  it.  The  poverty  of  the 
Italian  Government  left  some  things  much  de 
sired  undone,  but.  on  the  whole,  a  fine  show 
ing  had  been  made  at  sea. 

I:rom  the  everlasting  Slav  came  the  great 
est  danger.  They  can  build  war>hips  well  now 
at  Odessa  or  Scbastopol,  and  they  were  build 
ing  them  well  in  what  had  been  Chinese  waters 
from  the  time  the  idea  first  dawned  upon  the 
Russian  Government  that  the  war  of  the  na 
tions  was  near  at  hand.  Their  railroad  rights 
of  way  had  been  bought  or  fought  for,  and 
in  one  way  or  another,  had  been  established, 
until  between  the  Hlack  Sea  and  St.  Peters 
burg  there  were  no  difficulties  save  in  the  mere 
item  of  time  or  transportation.  Meanwhile 
the  shrewdest  diplomats  of  all  the  world,  for 
such  the  Russians  are,  by  turns  dallied  with  or 
bullied  the  Sultan.  They  won  his  ear  and  won 
away  his  judgment,  and  then — God  help  him 


THE    MUSTER.  147 

for  he  is  about  paying  the  consequences  now 
—they  won  the  right  of  way  for  their  great 
fleet  from  the  Black  Sea  down  past  Constanti 
nople  and  through  the  Golden  Horn  and  past 
the  frowning  forts,  the  heavy  fire  of  which 
could,  with  modern  artillery,  destroy  any  fleet 
in  the  world.  And  so  they  came  into  the 
Aegean  Sea  and  out  into  the  Mediterranean, 
where  they  could  join  the  fleets  of  Austria  and 
Italy  and  France,  where  they  waited,  near  the 
Pillars  of  Hercules,  preparatory  to  seeking, 
when  the  navies  were  massed,  the  open  At 
lantic,  and  crushing  the  gathering  fleet  of  the 
Anglo-Saxons.  This  was  the  sea  movement. 
Spain,  the  shorn,  had  meanwhile  sought  her 
sister  Portugal,  and  racial  and  religious  influ 
ences  had  brought  them  recently  even  closer 
together  than  they  had  been  for  centuries. 
They  were  not  strong,  but  they  were  fierce 
and  they  wanted  two  things — the  Inquisition 
again  and  the  abolition  of  the  Anglo-Saxon, 
the  creature  who  had  made  trouble  for  Alva 
and  for  the  Armada  and  taken  Cuba  and  Porto 
Rico  and  the  Philippines.  The  peasants,  pa 
triotic  and  non-understanding,  contributed 
their  pesetas  amazingly,  and  the  treasuries  of 
the  nations  of  the  peninsula,  now  united  save 


148  ARMAGEDDON. 

in  name,  \vere  full.  They,  too,  built  a  navy 
which  was  not  to  be  despised,  manned  by  gal 
lant  gentlemen  and  chivalric,  with  a  cruel 
streak  in  their  makeup.  They  united  at  Barce 
lona  and  joined  the  gathering  fleet. 

Meanwhile  a  portion  of  the  Russian  fleet, 
that  is  to  say.  the  two  effective  squadrons  ly 
ing  in  Pacific  waters,  was  seeking  eagerly  an 
opportunity  to  take  part  in  the  coming  fray 
upon  the  Atlantic  ocean.  lUit  little  chance 
had  this  fleet.  The  Japanese  and  the  Aus 
tralians  might  cross  the  western  continent  at 
the  neck  of  the  hour-g'lass,  but  none  else  could. 
Xone  dared  make  even  a  pretense  at  the  at 
tempt.  Huge  fortresses,  with  great  guns  and 
a  thousand  submarine  devices  under  control  of 
the  most  expert  American  engineers,  con 
trolled  the  entrance  to  the  canal.  To  enter 
that  passage  was  not  wisdom  nor  bravery,  but 
dramatic  suicide  for  any  group  of  things  ailoat, 
however  armed  and  armored.  In  the  East  the 
iron  hand  of  Kngland  held  Suez  and  the  canal. 
There  was  nothing  left  for  the  Asiatic-Rus 
sian  squadron  save  to  sail  for  cold  and  stormy 
southern  seas,  and  round  the  Horn,  in  time, 
if  possible,  to  be  of  some  avail  in  an  emer 
gency. 


THE    MUSTER.  H9 

Now  millions  of  Americans  realized,  doubt 
less  for  the  first  time,  the  strength  of  the 
Anglo-American  position.  A  look  at  the  map 
of  the  world  showed  to  even  peaceable  citizens, 
however  unversed  in  war,  the  tremendous 
advantage  these  allied  powers  possessed  in  the 
ownership  and  absolute  control  of  the  Suez 
and  Nicaraguan  Canals,  and  the  bones  of  Rea- 
consfield  might  almost  have  stirred  to  life 
again  as  the  rich  result  of  his  labors  became 
so  tremendously  apparent. 

The  men  who  had  planned  and  wrought  so 
to  make  the  way  across  the  American  barrier 
were  happily  alive  to  rejoice  over  the  timely 
ending  of  their  work,  and  to  see  its  usefulness 
to  the  Anglo-Saxon  race  fully  tested  and 
triumphantly  established.  No  longer  did  sel 
fish  corporations  or  long-bearded  would-be 
statesmen,  with  monetary  or  agrarian  fads, 
have  influence  in  the  national  legislature,  and 
the  spirit  there  was  one  of  generous  patriot 
ism.  The  navy  had  been  fostered  until  it  was 
now  a  gigantic  fighting  machine.  Never  had 
it  been  so  strong,  so  well-manned,  well 
equipped,  or  more  ably  commanded;  never 
was  it,  from  admiral  to  seaman,  so  filled  with 
enthusiasm,  loyalty  and  the  spirit  of  war  as 
now. 


150  ARMAGEDDON. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

APPLETON    BECOMES    DESTRUCTIVE. 

From  the  moment  when  war  became  im 
minent — when  all  men  could  feel  its  hot  breath 
of  disturbing-  power — Applcton  had  been  as 
one  possessed  by  an  idea  of  such  absorbing 
strength  as  to  drive  out  all  others.  The  first 
day  after  the  great  news  came  he  said  little; 
nevertheless,  I  well  knew  what  was  in  his 
mind. 

At  night,  after  hours  of  exhausting  work  in 
the  air  machine,  during  which  it  behaved  with 
remarkable  docility  and  to  our  great  satisfac 
tion,  Appleton  spoke.  \Ye  were  lying  on  the 
grass  under  the  stars,  and  I  could  not  see  his 
face,  but  his  voice  had  the  vibrations  of 
earnest  power  in  it. 

"\Yar  is  coming,"  he  said,  "and  with  it  our 
opportunity.  The  machine  we  have  here  can 
be  made  the  most  destructive  force  in  the 
world  to-day.  \Ye  must  bend  every  sinew  of 
body  and  every  energy  of  mind  to  fit  it  for 
war  on  land  or  sea.  You  shall  go  to  Washing 
ton — start  to-morrow  morning — offer  the  air 


APPLETON   DESTRUCTIVE.  151 

machine  to  the  Government,  and  prepare  the 
way  before  us.  I  will  stay  here  and  get  every 
thing  ready." 

"Appleton,"  I  said,  "what  do  you  intend  to 
do  with  the  machine?  Of  course  I  will  go  to 
morrow,  but  you  must  spend  most  of  the 
night  at  work  getting  me  ready." 

I  had,  naturally,  thought  already  of  using 
Appleton's  invention  for  war  purposes,  par 
ticularly  as  a  scout,  so  to  speak.  It  was  much 
more  suited  for  purposes  of  observation  than 
the  balloons  in  service  already,  especially  as  it 
need  not  like  them  be  hampered  by  the  wire 
rope  attaching  it  to  the  earth,  or  to  a  ship, 
when  used  at  sea,  and  was  not,  by  reason  of  its 
size  and  shape,  such  a  target  for  the  enemy's 
shots  as  a  balloon  with  its  towering  air-bag. 
"What  arrested  my  attention  was  Appleton's 
allusion  to  the  possibilities  of  making  our  con 
trivance  a  destructive  force.  Here  I  needed 
light. 

We  went  into  our  work-room,  and  lighting 
the  lamps  sat  down  at  our  pine-board  table. 
Then  Appleton  showed  me  his  plans  and  ex 
plained  them.  I  was  convinced  before  an  hour 
was  over  that  if  we  could  only  keep  our  air 
machine  under  control  in  any  half  satisfactory 


152  ARMAGEDDON. 

manner  when  the  hour  of  action  should  come, 
we  should  hold  the  fate  of  armies  and  navies 
in  our  hands. 

Briefly  stated,  Apple-ton's  plan  was  to  carry 
in  the  air  machine  packages  containing 
charges  of  high  explosives,  rise  far  above  the 
enemy,  and  at  will,  1>y  a  device  worked  from 
the  air  machine,  detach  the  charges.  Coming 
from  the  altitude  we  could  easily  attain,  a  mile 
or  more,  our  bombs  would  shatter  anything 
and  everything  they  touched  by  the  mere 
natural  force  accumulated  in  their  fall,  to  say 
nothing  of  the  explosive  contents  of  our  mis 
siles.  Hspecially  in  naval  warfare  would  Ap- 
pleton's  plan  be  valuable,  and  as  the  first  great 
battles  of  the  approaching  war  would  be 
naval.  Apple-ton  was  anxious  to  try  conclu 
sions  at  sea.  and  at  once. 

The  inventor's  plans  were  perfectly  feasible 
— that  I  knew  from  my  experience  with  the 
machine — and  they  had  that  simplicity  which 
is  often  the  ama/.ing  characteristic  of  great  and 
daring  innovations. 

Afterwards  came  to  us  both,  of  course, 
thoughts  of  the  danger  which  we  must  encoun 
ter  in  managing  and  using  the  machine  as  a 
battle-ship  of  the  air,  but  so  fascinating  was 


APPLETON  DESTRUCTIVE.  153 

the  work,  so  tremendous  were  its  conse 
quences,  and  so  exciting  was  its  nature,  that 
we  could  not  dwell  long  on  the  idea  of  person 
al  risk,  even  when  we  were  planning  it,  and 
when  once  our  real  activity  began  there  was 
no  room  for  any  thought  but  of  our  present 
duty. 

It  is  a  great  experience  to  be  for  hours  in 
some  situation  where  what  is  to  be  done  is  the 
absorbing,  controlling  thing,  allowing  no 
other  thought,  act,  or  feeling.  This  goes  far 
toward  making  that  joy  of  battle  which  sol 
diers  feel  in  deadly  conflicts.  The  mind,  and 
all  sensations  and  emotions  are  concentrated 
upon  a  given  point.  The  private  soldier  has 
not  even  to  decide  what  he  will  do.  lie  is  just 
an  ear  to  listen  and  an  arm  to  strike.  The 
officer,  of  whatever  grade,  is  or  should  be  the 
same,  up  to  the  commander-in-chief,  with  all 
his  energies  bent  upon  one  thing  alone,  to  di 
rect  well  the  struggle  going  on  about  him. 

As  for  us,  I  thought — while  I  tossed  un 
easily  upon  my  bed  in  the  hours  after  Apple- 
ton  had  bidden  me  good-night — as  for  us,  all 
we  would  have  to  do  would  be  to  go  up  quiet 
ly  and  quickly  in  the  air-ship,  find  our  way  to 
the  point  we  were  directed  to  attain  above  the 


154  ARMAGEDDON. 

enemy,  and  cut  a  wire.  Then,  when  our  stoek 
of  ammunition  was  exhausted,  or  we  were  rc- 
ealled  by  our  commander.  \ve  must  come 
down.  Aye!  There  was  the  rub!  But  as 
Appleton  had  said,  it  was  better  not  to  think 
about  that.  Of  course  we  could  get  down  all 
right,  anyone  could  do  that, — the  thing  to 
think  about  was  the  most  effective  way  of  do 
ing  our  work.  And  that  was  simple  enough, 
too. 

1  was  a  most  set  and  determined  man  when 
I  arrived  in  Washington  a  da}-  or  two 
later,  and,  as  there  were  in  the  capital  before 
me  many  other  men  of  like  earnestness  and 
determination  of  purpose,  it  was  a  hard  fight 
to  get  a  hearing  from  the  over-worked  au 
thorities  of  the  army  and  navy.  It  was  not 
a  long  struggle,  though  fierce.  Before  many 
days  were  over  I  had  enlisted  on  my  side  some 
of  the  men  who  had  been  associated  with 
George  Strong  and  John  Savage  in  the  Xica- 
ragua  Canal  work  and  who  knew  me  well. 
Together  once  more,  shoulder  to  shoulder, 
we.  comrades  in  a  former  struggle,  made  our 
fight,  and  soon  I  had  the  satisfaction  of  leav 
ing  for  home  with  promises  of  substantial 
recognition  and  co-operation  from  the  Gov- 


APPLETON  DESTRUCTIVE.  155 

eminent.  We  were  to  have  a  practical  trial 
in  the  United  States  navy,  and  in  active  ser 
vice,  too.  If  we  could  get  ready  we  were  to 
sail,  taking  our  machine  with  us,  in  one  of  the 
war-ships  of  the  great  fleet  preparing  in  New 
York  harbor,  and  1  had  a  very  well  denned 
opinion  that  we  would  be  ready. 

We  settled  down  again  to  work.  We  were 
now  keyed  up  to  such  efforts  as  we  had  never 
made  before.  There  was  a  deadly  earnestness 
about  Appleton  in  these  days.  We  worked 
and  were  happy. 

As  we  toiled  and  rested,  and  toiled  again, 
we  studied  the  situation,  our  strongly  moved 
natures  responding  readily  to  the  war  drama 
which  was  being  played  in  its  first  scene 
around  us.  We  thrilled  with  the  spirit  of  pa 
triotism  which  had  given  Americans  baptism 
as  of  the  ancient  tongues  of  flame,  while  we 
felt  too,  in  strong  vibrations,  the  answering 
within  us  to  the  mighty  Macedonian  cry  of 
race  from  across  the  sea. 

It  was  fortunate  for  the  great  republic  that 
it  had  at  this  time  a  President  who  was  seem 
ingly  provided  by  the  God  of  nations  for  the 
occasion,  conservative  but  unafraid,  a  man 
of  perception  and  tact  but,  withal,  swift  to  de- 


156  ARMAGEDDON. 

cide  and  act  so  as  to  compel  movements  quite 
beyond  mere  politic  consideration.  The  blood 
of  his  race  stirred  within  him  and  made  him  a 
patriot  in  the  broader  sense  of  the  term. 

The  time  had  come  to  act  and  he  did  not 
make  a  mistake.  He  thought  of  the  seventy- 
five  thousand  men  called  for  by  the  great  Lin 
coln  at  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  war  and  of 
the  length  of  time  needed  for  preparing  a 
greater  army,  as  shown  in  the  Spanish  war, 
and  he  took  his  lesson  from  these  experiences. 
In  a  message  calmly  worded  but  explaining 
clearly  the  nation's  situation,  and  the  fact  that 
the  nation's  sons  were  needed,  he  called  first 
for  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  volunteers. 

The  volunteers  called  for  were  apportioned 
among  the  states  according  to  population. 
The  call  was  issued  on  Tuesday,  and  Wednes 
day  morning  was  effective.  It  had  been  anti 
cipated  and  all  day  Tuesday  there  was  excite 
ment  in  city,  and  town  and  village,  and  farm 
ers  talked  at  the  crossroads.  The  battle-bees 
-were  humming.  By  Tuesday  noon  the  males 
of  the  nation  knew  what  was  required  of  them 
and  the  hum  was  a  hum  no  longer,  but  a 
nui filed  roar.  Things  were  happening  fast 
now.  Trade  was  neglected  and  from  every- 


APPLETON  DESTRUCTIVE.  157 

where  came  the  sound  of  band,  or  fife  and 
drum,  or  bugle.  Swift  work  was  required,  and 
there  was  no  rest  by  night  or  day.  Friday  noon 
the  first  state  reported  to  Washington  its 
quota  filled,  and  Saturday  night  found  a  re 
port  from  every  state  in  the  Union,  telling  the 
same  story.  They  had  learned  from  the  Span 
ish  war.  A  quarter  of  a  million  volunteers 
were  ready  and  as  many  more  were  clamor 
ous  for  enlistment. 

Then  followed  swiftly  completer  organiza 
tions  in  each  state  and  there  were  scenes  some 
times  amusing,  sometimes  pathetic  and  al 
ways  interesting.  The  veterans  of  the 
great  Civil  war,  and  of  the  more  recent 
conflict,  now  suddenly  became  men  of 
importance,  although  the  Union  veterans 
were  mostly  too  old  for  service,  and  had 
been  jeered  at  but  lately  for  their  pension 
drawing.  Thousands  of  old  men  who  had 
limped  wearily  in  the  procession  of  the  last 
Decoration  Day,  now  straightened  instinc 
tively  their  bent  backs  and  exhibited  a  certain 
springiness  even  in  their  limping.  The  old 
fire  came  into  their  eyes  again,  and  the  old 
ring  to  their  voices.  In  every  town,  great  or 
small,  these  were  among  the  drillmasters  of 


158  ARMAGF.DDON. 

the  brawny  youth  and  men  of  vigor  who  were 
learning  the  first  rudiments  of  war.  Their 
influence  was  wonderful.  They  were  men  who 

had  fought  for  a  principle — and  it  was  the 
same  North  and  South.  Never  had  vast 
legions  of  eager  recruits  better  teachers  physic 
ally  and  morally  in  the  alphabet  of  organiza 
tion.  Not  even  a  little  town  in  all  the  land 
lacked  one  or  more  of  these  old  soldiers  and 
\vhat  the\"  accomplished  was  something  ex 
cellent.  As  for  the  soldiers  of  the  then  recent 
war  with  Spain  the}'  were  now  in  the  front 
rank  and  formed  the  nucleus. 

Soon  began  from  all  quarters  the  movement 
toward  the  front.  The  authorities  of  the  army 
and  navy  were  well  prepared  and  where  the 
forces  should  go  into  camps  had  already  been 
determined.  The  national  capital  became  the 
center  of  a  might}'  gathering. 

The}'  came  from  every  point  of  the  compass. 
All  means  of  transportation  were  taxed.  Hven 
the  great  inland  seas  were  burdened  to  aid  the 
movement.  The}'  came,  the  Americans. 
I'Yom  the  great  northern  tier  of  states  came 
thousands  of  the  sons  of  the  hardy  Norsemen 
who  had  found  a  home  there  and  who  now 
felt  stirring  within  them  the  instinct  of  their 


APPLETON   DESTRUCTIVE.  159 

ancestors.  There  was  place  for  them  on  land 
and  sea.  They  made  great  regiments.  Sail 
ors  were  needed  and  they  fed  the  warships 
with  the  progeny  of  the  Vikings.  Dark-eyed 
Louisianians,  swarthy  and  black-moustached, 
soldiers  by  instinct,  brought  with  them  the 
blood  of  the  Huguenots.  Brown  Texans, 
grandsons  of  such  men  as  defended  the  Alamo, 
men  who  could  ride  fast  and  far  and  fight  like 
the  grizzly,  were  camped  beside  regiments  as 
brawny  and  resolute  from  Kentucky  and  New 
England.  The  Pacific  Coast  and  the  Missis 
sippi  Valley  and  states  of  all  the  South  and 
North  sent  forth  their  myriads  of  men  as  good, 
and  an  army  inexperienced  but  eager  was  soon 
organized  and  prepared  for  active  service. 

Within  a  month  from  the  time  of  the  call 
the  force  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
men,  well  fed  and  prepared  for  movement,  was 
being  distributed  according  to  a  plan  con 
ceived. 

At  first,  of  course,  there  was  a  terrific  storm 
of  talk,  spoken  and  written,  for  the  newspaper 
is  only  printed  talk.  There  were  Anti-War  Par 
ties,  and  Peace  Leagues,  and  all  the  noise  of 
professional  agitation.  Old  race  hatreds  re 
vived  and  asserted  themselves,  and  in  some 


160  ARMAGKDDON. 

(juartcrs  the  ugly  licad  of  sectarian  bigotry 
was  raised,  but  the  serpent's  hiss  was  of  little 
moment  in  the  country  the  institutions  of 
which  were  founded  on  the  rock  of  religious 
freedom. 

It  seems  to  me  that  groups  of  people  some 
times  get  foolish  and  unreasonable  just  as  in 
dividuals  do  when  digestion  is  out  of  order. 
In  America  the  crust  yelped  with  amazing 
clamor  and  endurance.  The  crust,  you  know 
the  crust,  the  shell  made  up  almost  exclusive 
ly  of  importations  and  of  those  who  needed  the 
imported  vote,  yelped  shrilly  now,  against 
the  Anglo-American  alliance,  but  the  clamor 
of  their  voices  was  lost  in  the  sound  of  life  and 
drum.  It  is  curious,  though,  about  the  crust. 

1'elow,  were  the  real  people.  Above  were 
the  agitators,  and  the  politicians  who  traded 
on  them.  It  would  have  been  unimportant 
but  that  sometimes  in  the  past  the  crust  had 
carried  with  it  the  worthy  elements  beneath. 
It  wasn't  logical;  it  was  opposed  to  all  physical 
laws,  but  it  sometimes  happened  politically. 
The  really  guilty  fools  in  the  United  States 
were  the  politicians  who  figured  only  on  what 
result  in  votes  would  follow  their  action  at  any 
time.  After  that  the  deluge. 


THE  CHRISTENING.  161 


CHAPTER  XIII. 
Till-:   CHRISTENING. 

I  have  had  a  moderately  well  rounded  out 
experience  among  what  constitutes  the  rest  of 
humanity;  I  ought  to  possess  some  degree  of 
judgment  regarding  the  comparative  good  or 
bad  fortune  of  a  human  being  at  any  particu 
lar  time,  and  my  estimate  I  hold  correct  when 
I  say  that  I  never  passed  a  happier  late  spring 
and  early  summer  than  I  did  with  Appleton 
in  that  crazy  old  building  a  few  miles  from  the 
suburbs  of  Chicago,  even  at  this  time  when 
we  were  working  so  feverishly  to  an  end. 

We  didn't  sleep  very  well;  there  wasn't  any 
bath  and  I  was  uncomfortable  and  expressed 
my  opinions  volubly  in  the  morning.  We  had 
water  enough,  though,  and  towels  enough  and 
so  I  could  slap  and  scrub  myself  at  sunrise  and 
feel  as  if  I  were  something  like  a  remote  ac 
quaintance  of  a  gentleman  for  the  rest  of  the 
day. 

After  our  early  breakfast  we  would  sit  to 
gether  and  scheme,  and  in  our  scheming  de- 
11 


1 62  ARMAGEDDON. 

vcluped  the  venture  of  which  I  am  telling,  hut 
the  hard  planning  and  work  exhausted  us,  ex 
hausted  even  Appleton.  \\'e  worked  each  day 
until  the  cheap  clock  beside  us  said  that  it  was 
afier  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning — I  believe 
that  we  did  most  of  our  real  thinking  work 
before  ten  o'clock  for  we  were  both  convinced 
that  men  think  most  cleanly  and  clearly  in 
the  morning — but  at  night  we  were  experi 
menting  in  our  air  machine  until  late,  and  that 
was  good  work  too. 

it's  odd  how  little  things  blend  with  big 
things.  A  bluebird  had  a  nest  in  an  old  oak 
stump,  possibly  twenty  rods  from  the  build 
ing  in  which  we  were  working.  There's  hard 
ly  any  bird  that  I  love  more  than  the  blue 
bird.  There  is  such  a  joyousncss  about  the 
little  fellow,  and  he  comes  here  so  early  in 
the  spring  when  there  is  sometimes  ice  on  the 
very  gra>s  spear  he  carries  in  the  making  of 
his  nest,  and  there  is  such  blithesomeness  to 
his  short  song,  as  if  he  were  trying  to  say  MX 
or  eight  hopeful  words  together,  "(iod  bless 
us,  and  let  her  go  Oallagher"  that  I  like  him. 
I  noted  closely  the  love  affairs  of  the  pair  of 
birds,  and  admired  the  regularity  of  the  little 
husband  in  feeding  his  spouse  when  the  time 


THE   CHRISTENING.  163 

of  setting  upon  the  eggs  began,  and  the  per 
fect  manner  of  his  flight.  The  course  of  the 
wind  shifts  and  changes  easily  upon  the  prairie 
within  any  fifty  miles  distance  of  the  upris 
ing  evaporation  of  the  great  lakes.  The  bird 
living  in  this  area  must  adapt  himself  to  swift 
wind-drifts,  and  I  watched  him  curiously,  and 
with  something  of  envious  fellowship  as  he 
kept  himself  afloat  in  the  air.  It  was  so  easy 
for  him.  I  made  a  study  of  bird  flight  that 
summer  and  had  a  joyous  life  even  when  I 
wasn't  hard  at  work  with  Appleton.  To  the 
west  the  prairie  dipped  and  rose  and  was  but 
a  broad  rolling  expanse  with  hillocks  and  with 
creeks  and  crisscrossed  with  cheap  highways, 
made  at  the  least  cost  to  the  township,  cleanly 
kept,  but  bare  and  white  and  hot  in  midsum 
mer. 

1  used  to  stroll  along  these  country  roads 
and  make  friends  with  the  chippy-birds  and 
ground  sparrows  that  shifted  along  just  a  lil- 
tle  ahead  of  me,  and  whose  nests  I  knew  all 
about  though  they  didn't  think  I  did.  1  had 
great  comfort  with  the  quail,  too.  By  the 
way,  a  really  industrious  and  thoughtful  fe 
male  quail  sometimes  has  as  many  as  fifty 
children  in  a  year.  What  I  mean  is  this:  she 


if>4  ARMAGEDDON. 

sometimes  lays  as  ninny  as  thirty  eggs  in  one 
nest  and,  barring  accidents,  lets  her  children 
drift  in  time  to  have  another  nest  and  another 
brood.  It's  wonderful  what  a  creator  of 
charming  little  living  things  she  is.  As  for 
her  mate,  though  vain  of  his  whistling,  he's 
a  model  husband. 

1  can  shut  my  eyes  now  and  see  the  yellow 
green  stretch  of  meadows  down  from  Apple- 
ton's  place  toward  the  stream.  1  can  see  the 
chipmunks  scurrying  along  the  lower  rails  of 
the  fence.  I  can  hear  the  defiance  of  the  bine- 
jays  in  the  air.  I  can  hear  in  the  early  morn 
ing  the  call  of  the  meadow-lark  which  means 
so  much  in  its  hopefulness  and  buoyancy.  Ap- 
pleton's  old  barn  of  a  place  was  built  in  the 
midst  of  an  area  where  real  life  was.  It's  all 
sentimental,  maybe,  but  somehow  I  believe 
that,  because  of  the  reflection  of  all  that  was 
vivid  and  pulsating  about  us,  we  had  better 
perceptions  for  the  work  before  us  than  we 
could  otherwise  have  had,  and  that  possibly 
the  dipping  Ilight  of  the  goldfinch  or  the  blue 
bird  as  he  trimmed  himself  to  the  gale,  may 
have  remotely  suggested  to  Appleton  some 
contingency  of  the  work  we  had  in  hand. 

\Ye    got    on    well    with   our   air-machine   in 


THE   CHRIST  KM  ING.  165 

those  days.  Difficulties  began  to  disappear 
under  our  constant  hammering,  and  we  grew 
buoyant  and  light  of  heart.  The  knowledge 
that  we  were  soon  going  into  active  trial  gave 
us  the  life  of  enthusiasm,  and  our  work  flour 
ished  accordingly. 

One  day,  in  the  flush  of  the  full  summer, 
Mr.  and  Airs.  Daggart  and  Helen  came  early 
in  the  morning  to  see  our  experiments  with 
the  air-machine  and  to  spend  the  day. 

Helen  begged  to  be  taken  up  in  the  flying 
concern,  but  Appleton  had  shortly  and  plump- 
ly  refused  to  allow  it,  and  we  had  left  the 
young  lady  sitting  haughtily  erect  on  the 
grass,  refusing  even  to  look  at  us  as  we  rose 
in  the  sweet  morning  air  and  were  gently 
wafted  along  by  the  south  wind. 

We  had  an  ugly  time  of  it  before  our  show 
trip  was  over,  and  when  we  returned  on  foot, 
weary  and  excited,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Daggart 
were  warm  in  their  congratulations  that  we 
were  still  alive  and  equally  fervent  in  expres 
sions  of  gratitude  that  Helen  had  not  been 
with  us.  Helen  herself  said  little  but  she  look 
ed  somewhat  anxiously  at  Appleton  as  he 
limped  toward  our  shed  to  make  himself  pre 
sentable  after  the  shaking  up  of  the  morning. 


lf>f>  ARMAGEDDON. 

For  the  first  time  she  saw  ami  rcali/.ed  the 
danger  of  Applcton's  enterprise  and,  all  day 
after  thai,  there  rested  upon  the  brave  girl's 
face  a  little  shadow. 

It  was  still  long  before  midday  when  we 
rested  together  in  the  shade  of  the  nir-ma- 
ehine  as  it  lay  on  the  flower-laden  prairie  grass. 
\Ye  had  been  eating  a  pienic  breakfast,  and 
were  comfortably  lying  or  sitting  about,  the 
generous  hampers  of  dainties  brought  out  bv 
Mrs.  Daggart  adding  mueh  to  the  homely  at 
tractions  of  the  occasion. 

The  meadows  around  us  were  full  of  bobo 
links.  I vvery  few  minutes  one  of  the  black 
and  yellow-white  fellows  would  rise  and  (hit 
ter  and  sing,  and  then  fall  back  again  upon 
some  tall  weed  or  bush,  and  we  were  watch 
ing  and  listening  to  this  jolliest  of  birds  in  the 
intervals  of  lazy  talk. 

"The  bobolink  is  the  American  nation's 
bird,"  said  I.  "A  bird  so  happily  built  by 
Providence  that  he  grows  with  the  growth  of 
meadows  and  so  must  increase  with  the  ex 
tension  of  the  cultivated  country.  It  is  the 
happily-plucked-out  piece  of  original  buoy 
ancy  among  living  things  destined  to  live  with 
nature's  changes.  The  queer  part  of  it  all  is 


THE   CHRISTENING.  167 

that  the  creature  \vliich  inspires  the  soul  in 
spring  and  early  summer,  later  in  the  season 
inspires  the  stomach.  The  angel  and  the 
butcher  shake  hands  and  are  content." 

"What  is  all  this  nonsense?"  said  Mr.  Dag- 
gart,  looking  up  from  the  full  length  position 
he  held  on  a  Navajo  rug. 

"About  angels  and  butchers  shaking 
hands—  "  continued  Mrs.  Daggart. 

"Our  bobolink,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Daggart,  and 
fellow  citizens,  if  you  will  allow  me  to  proceed, 
• — the  same  singing  bird  of  June  that  you  see 
there  whirling  around  in  musical  ecstacy,  be 
comes  himself  a  gorging  gourmand  and,  in 
consequence,  the  prey  of  gourmands,  every 
year.  These  birds  gather  in  great  brown 
flocks  every  autumn  and  fly  south.  On  the 
Potomac  marshes  they  are  shot  by  thousands 
and  served  at  dainty  tables  beneath  the  shadow 
of  the  capitol.  On  the  restaurant  bills  of  fare 
they  figure  as  reed-birds.  Then  the  myriads 
that  escape  go  farther  south  and  devastate  the 
rice  fields.  There  they  are  killed  and  sold  as 
rice-birds  to  feed  the  markets  north  and  south. 
Later  they  fly  to  the  West  Indian  Islands 
where  they  are  eaten  and  appreciated  as  the 
butter-bird.  Then  follows  their  great  exploit 


— the  greatest  Ilighi  known  to  lie  taken  by 
small  birds — the  journey  straight  away  from 
the  \\est  Indies  to  \  enexueia,  or  somewhere 
tlicreabont.  There  they  stay  auhile,  and  mil 
lions  of  them  drill  southwest  until  in  <nir  own 
autumn  months  they  are  in  the  Argentine  Re 
public." 

"\\  ill  somet  >nc  brine;'  us  a  ma]) —  "  interrupt 
ed  Ilelen,  a  nau^ht\-  twinkle  in  her  eyes 

Hut  I  would  not  be  stopped;  raiding  my 
voiee  to  full  lecture  pitch,  I  finished: 

"Xow  follows  the  return  trip,  over  the  same 
route,  and  a^'ain  the  army  ot  birds  ravages 
the  rice  fields,  the  \'onni;-  ])!ants  this  time,  and 
by  way  of  the  reedy  rivers  they  come  north, 
arriving  earlv  in  fune  to  charm  men  a^ain 
ju>t  as  they  have  for  countless  Junes  before!" 

"The  bobolink  is  a  great  bird."  assented  Ap- 
pleton,  "but  thai  is  no  reason,  jack,  \\hv  you 
should  make  bun  an  excuse  lor  burdening  us 
with  useful  information.  It  is  too  hot,  for 
one  thing — 

"I  protest.  Mr.  \Ventworth" — this  from 
Mrs.  Daggart — "1  want  to  hear  more  about 
tin-  bobolink.  It  is  the  most  characteristic 
.American  bird,  1  think." 

"\Vell,"  broke  in   Appleton,  "somehow  the 


TfllC   CI1RISTKNING.  169 

(Inffcr  has  an  American  quality  in  his  way;  he 
extends  himself,  he  is  joyous,  he  makes  the 
world  better;  he  takes  all  chances  and  he  does 
those  two  great  things  which  are  the  fruit  of 
the  great  things  of  this  particular  globe  float 
ing  in  space,  lie  dies  enormously,  but  he  mul 
tiplies  more.  The  English  up-fluttering  lark, 
telling  things  to  those  below,  is  good;  the 
European  nightingale,  making  the  night  bet 
ter,  is  good,  but— and  of  course  I  am  but  a 
crank,  born  with  him  and  fond  of  him — I  in 
sist  that  the  American  bobolink  is  the  one 
great  poet-reaching  and  man-reaching  bird  of 
all  the  world.  He  is  at  the  same  time  the 
Anglo-Saxon  and  Viking  of  all  the  birds  of 
all  the  world.  lie  breeds  in  the  far  north,  he 
raids  all  the  intermediate  space  and  there  is 
none  other  among  all  the  birds  of  the  earth 
who  is  like  unto  him." 

And  we  all  sat  still  for  awhile,  and  the  bobo 
link  gurgled  and  pitched  and  crowned  the  day 
with  animated  joy. 

"Mr.  Appleton,  what  is  the  name  of  your  air- 
engine?"  It  was  Helen  that  broke  the  silence. 
"Let  us  name  it  to-day.  It  ought  to  have  the 
name  of  a  bird.  \Yould  you  call  it  'The  Bobo 
link?'  " 


Appleton  looked  at  me  "It  has  at  present 
certain  motions  like  that  of  a  l>o]iolink,"  I  re 
turned,  "hut  1  don't  know  that  1  approve  of 
them." 

'A  ou  mean  that  pitching  downward  sud- 
denlv,"  said  the  inventor  calmlv,  "hut  that  will 
he  all  ri^'lit.  Wentworth — 

"(  )h,  yes,  of  course,"  1  had  to  say;  hut  my 
lame  arm  ^rumhled  where  it  reeei\-ed  its  last 
hard  di^  hecause  of  the  said  pitching  propen 
sity  of  Applcton's  threat  machir.e. 

Miss  Dai^art  said,  innocently  enough,  to  all 
appearance:  "It  reminded  me  more  of  a  i^oose 
than  of  any  other  hird,  last  Thursday,  when 
you  were  hauling  it  out  of  the  muddy  river." 

"The  Wild  (loose,"  said  Appleton,  taking 
up  the  gauntlet  instantly,  "is  the  most  wonder 
ful  hird  on  its  win^s  in  all  the  world.  It  win^s 
from  the  tropics  to  the  Arctic  Circle  and  hack 
every  year,  and  has  no  rival  in  the  air.  The 
name  of  the  machine  shall  he  'The  Wild 
( lor  ise." 

"I  wish  you  mi^'ht  i^'et  some  such  steering 
apparatus  as  a  wild  choose  has,  Appleton,"  said 
I.  "and  find  out  how  to  use  it." 

Helen  had  her  lap  full  of  clover  hlossoms, 
white  and  red.  She  suddenlv  stretched  her  arm 


THE  CHRISTENING.  171 

out  and  took  from  a  willow  basket  near  her 
father's  elbow  a  bottle;  alas  !  a  cobwcbbcd  bot 
tle  of  old  wine,  and  I  see  Mr.  Daggart's  dismay 
ed  face  yet.  The  girl  rose,  holding  in  one  hand 
the  gathered  folds  of  her  white  gown  with  the 
clover-blossoms  ready,  in  the  other  the  wine. 
In  a  moment  she  turned,  and  crash  went  the 
neck  of  the  bottle  on  the  frame-work  of  the 
machine,  while,  as  far  as  she  could  throw  them 
over  and  around  it,  the  ilowers  were  scattered. 

"Gallant  wanderer  of  the  air,"  she  cried.  "I 
crown  thee  with  clover  blossoms  and  christen 
thee  'Wild  Goose!'" 

"Gallant  'wobbler'  of  the  air,"  I  muttered. 

I  had  leaped  and  stumbled,  and  I  was 
sprawling  at  the  feet  of  Beauty  when  this 
episode  was  over.  I  had  to  endure  much 
chaffing  over  my  vain  attempt  to  save  the 
good  wine  from  its  untimely  end.  Only  Mr. 
Daggart  sympathized  with  my  efforts.  He  re 
fused  to  be  comforted.  He  had  carefully 
chosen  from  his  cherished  supply,  "one  de 
cent  bottle,"  as  he  himself  said  in  all  frank 
ness.  This  he  had  placed  with  the  others  in 
one  of  the  baskets  before  he  left  home.  Helen, 
by  fell  misfortune,  had  chanced  to  place  her 
eager  hand  on  this  particular  bottle  when  the 


17-          ARMAGEDDON. 

thought  of  naming  the  machine  possessed  her, 
and  so  came  mishap  to  an  important  feature  of 
the  old  gentleman's  repast. 

The  day  passed  with  much  laughter  and 
jollity,  and  evening  found  our  little  company 
still  together  on  the  prairie.  \Yith  night  came 
a  subduing  inllnence,  and  there  was  talk  of  all 
the  serious  problems  that  were  occupying  the 
world  near  and  far,  and  of  course  much  talk  of 
the  war,  which  was  coming  on  so  swiftly. 

Appleton  had  already  announced  to  Helen 
his  determination  to  throw  himself  and  his 
fortunes  into  the  war.  and  as  we  talked,  the 
realities  of  his  enterprise,  its  terrific  dangers 
and  chances,  took  hold  of  the  poor  girl.  1  he 
lovers  had  dravui  somewhat  aside  from  the 
rest  of  us.  and  for  some  time  their  low  earnest 
voices,  heard  at  intervals  in  our  pauses  of  con 
versation,  had  shown  that  their  talk  was  on 
themes  which  moved  them  deeply. 

It  had  grown  finite  dark.  The  place  was 
lighted  only  by  the  stars,  and  the  uncertain 
gleam  of  a  lantern  or  two  which  swung  from 
our  porch,  when  suddenly  Appleton  called  to 
me: 

"\Ventworth,  what  was  that  old  Roumanian 
poem  you  were  repeating  the  other  day — the 


THE  CHRISTENING.  173 

one  you  say  is  the  best  of  all  patriotic  poems? 
Let  us  hear  it." 

I  repeated  the  poem,  out  there  in  the  dark 
ness: 

The  soldier  dying  spake: 
"Tell  my  mother  dear  to  pray  for  me, 

To  pray  for  me  with  folded  hands, 

And  my  bride  in  the  village  there." 

They  buried  him  on  the  battle-field 

And  the  sun  looked  down  and  smiled, 

And  the  flowers  bloomed  where  he  was  laid 

And  were  glad  they  blossomed  there. 

And  the  village  women  prayed, 

With  folded  hands  they  prayed  for  him, 

And  the  soldier  spake  from  his  deep,  dark  grave: 
"I  am  content." 

And  when  the  wind  in  the  tree-tops  blew 

The  soldier  said: 
"Did  the  banner  flutter  then?" 
"Not  so,  my  hero,"  the  wind  replied, 
"The  banner  fluttered  not; 

Thy  comrades  of  old  have  borne  it  hence, 

Have  borne  it  in  triumph  hence." 

And  the  soldier  spake  from  his  deep,  dark  grave: 
"I  am  content." 

And  the  flocks  and  the  shepherds  pass, 

And  the  soldier  spake  again: 
"Is  that  the  sound  of  the  battle's  roar?" 
"Not  so,  my  hero,"  the  shepherds  said, 
"Thou  art  dead  and  the  battle  o'er, 

Thy  country  joyful  and  free." 

And  the  soldier  spake  from  the  deep,  dark  grave: 
"I  am  content." 


1/4  ARMA(iI-:i)I)C)N. 


And  the  lovers  lau^hin^  pa.-,s, 

And  the  soldier  spake  a;^ain: 
"Are  those  tlie  voices  of  them  that  love, 

That  love  and  remember  me:'" 
"Not  so,  ni}'  hero,"  the  lovers  said, 
"\Ve  are  those  that  rememher  not, 

For  the  spring  has  come  and  the  earth  has  smiled 

.And  the  dead  must  lie  forgot." 

And  the  soldier  spake  from  the  deep,  dark  ^rnve: 
"I  am  content." 

\\  hen  the  last  word  was  said  there  was  per 
fect  silence  for  a  lime.  Then  Mr.  Dai^art 
bustled  about. 

"Come,  come,  come!  It  is  time  to  be  ^"oin^ 
home.  Helen,  child;  mother,  where  is 
(  )T.rien?" 

"I'm  here,  sir,"  said  O'Brien.  from  some 
place  near  bv,  and  his  voice  was  husky  and  un 
natural.  I  joined  the  old  gentleman  and 
O'Brien  on  their  walk  to  our  tumble-down 
stable,  and  helped  them  about  the  horses. 
When  we  drove  up  for  Helen  and  Mrs.  1  )a.L,r- 
i^art  the\'  were  standing  beside  Appleton.  lie 
helped  them  into  the  carriage,  and  our  visitors 
drove  awav.  There  were  calls  of  good-bye 
and  o'ood-niidit  back  and  forth,  but  1  did  not 
hear  1  lelen's  voice. 


FAREWELL  TO   THE   PRAIRIE.          1/5 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

FAREWELL   TO    THE   PRAIRIE. 

It  was  a  sunny  afternoon  in  the  lingering 
summer.  Coming  from  the  city,  tired  and  out 
of  tune  with  the  world,  I  found  our  retreat 
again  honored  by  visitors  no  less  distinguished 
than  Helen  and  her  mother.  The  ladies  were 
sitting  upon  camp  chairs  placed  upon  a  rug 
which  Appleton  had  spread  for  them  on  the 
rich  short  grass,  and  Appleton  was  standing 
erect  and  flushed  of  face  before  them.  As  I 
approached  the  group  I  noticed  tears  upon  the 
face  of  the  mother,  but  the  daughter  was  calm 
and  apparently  unmoved.  Closer  inspection 
showed  her  face  pale  and  her  eyes  almost 
tragic  in  the  story  they  told  of  sleepless  vigils 
and  unshed  tears. 

Appleton  turned  slightly  toward  me  as  he 
heard  my  footsteps,  but  continued  speaking 
to  the  women,  merely  beckoning  me  toward 
him  with  his  left  hand. 

Wondering,  I  stopped  and  listened. 

"I  am  going  and  nothing  can  stop  me,"  Ap- 


l/fi  ARMAGEDDON. 

pleton  was  saying;  "I  stake  my  all,  my  life 
and  my  fortunes  on  this  hour.  Nothing  can 
tempt  me  at  this  time  to  luse  the  privilege  of 
giving  what  little  I  have  to  my  country.  This 
is  our  last  da}'  in  this  vapid  place  of  inaction. 
You  have  given  me  your  ultimatum,"  turn 
ing  to  Helen,  "and  now  I  give  you  mine.  Go 
I  will.  Part  we  must.  If  I  must  go  under 
your  displeasure,  leave  you  in  anger,  still  I 
must  go.  Xo  promise  of  ease  or  happiness  can 
change  my  resolution!" 

"Appleton!  . \ppleton!"  F  called,  for  he 
seemed  altogether  unlike  himself,  so  full  of 
passion  and  fervor  was  this  usually  calm  un 
emotional  fellow.  lie  turned  again  to  me, 
and  said,  "ft  is  nothing,  (lo  in,  I  will  join  you 
soon.  \Ye  should  he  ready  to  leave  at  live 
o'clock  to-morrow  morning,  as  vou  know." 

I  left  them,  and  resumed  my  work,  pack 
ing  for  the  journey.  A  half  hour  later  Apple- 
ton  joined  me  at  the  work  of  the  moment, 
quiet  and  cool  as  usual,  lie  gave  me  a  few 
words  of  explanation  and  then  we  addressed 
ourselves  solely  to  our  task  of  getting  ready 
for  the  nil  truing. 

I  ItA-n  and  her  mother  had  walked  over  from 
the  railwav  station  and  surpri-ed  Appleton  as 


FAREWELL  TO  THE  PRAIRIE. 

he  worked.  The  approach  of  the  crisis  in  his 
affairs,  his  dangerous  plans  and  almost  cer 
tain  death  had  broken  down  completely  the 
girl  who  loved  him,  and  her  distress  had,  in 
turn,  \von  over  to  her  side  her  parents.  Backed 
by  the  old  gentleman's  instructions  the  two 
women  had  come  out  to  our  quarters  to  beg 
Appleton  to  give  up  his  plans,  remain  at  home, 
marry  his  sweetheart,  and  go  into  some  sort  of 
a  money-making  scheme  held  out  by  Mr.  Dag- 
gart.  There  had  been  much  halting  and  turn 
ing1,  and  no  end  of  talking  and  crying  before 
Appleton  understood  the  drift  of  things;  the 
women  wanted  to  take  him  home  to  dinner 
with  them,  when  the  pater  was  to  clinch 
things,  probably,  in  his  own  down-right  way. 
Above  all  the  appeal  had  been  made  to  Apple- 
ton,  one  often  pressed  before — that  he  should 
change  his  venturesome,  hazardous  ways, 
once  for  all,  and  "be  practical." 

Appleton,  as  soon  as  he  could  get  his 
breath,  had  essayed  to  show  his  fair  visitors 
his  view  of  things.  It  was  a  long  talk,  ending 
as  I  have  reported.  And  Helen  had  gone 
away  pale  and  angry,  and  had  said  that  now 

she  was  sure  Appleton  cared  no  more  for  her 
12 


than  for  the  grass  under  his  loci — and  those 
were  her  last  words. 

"And  that  is  the  end,"  said  Appleton,  ''nev 
er  speak  of  her  again.  \\'e  \vill  tly  freely  no\v; 
no  matter  \\hether  we  conic  hack  or  not!" 

"I  have  certain  feelings  of  mv  own,  how 
ever,"  I  declared,  "1  am  not  at  all  indifferent 
about  coming  hack  again,  old  man." 

But  Apple-ton  would  not  even   smile. 

We  tugged  at  our  packing,  forgetting  to 
cat  until  our  man  of  all  work  called  us  to  our 
late  supper. 

That  evening  as  we  sat  smoking  our  pipes 
and  looking  at  the  moonrise,  the  sounds  of 
the  summer  night  in  our  ears,  we  lieard  the 
mtiftled  roll  of  a  carriage  on  the  soft  prairie 
road.  The  faint  light  showed  a  wagonette 
driven  rapidly  toward  us  and  it  did  not  take 
close  examination  for  us  to  recognize  its  oc 
cupants.  Mr.  Daggart  was  the  driver  of  the 
pair  of  bays  and  by  his  side  sat  I  lelen. 

The  old  boy  was  completely  subjugated; 
and  he  was  a  man,  too.  He  jumped  down 
from  his  high  seat  as  1  took  the  horses'  heads. 
lie  grasped  Appleton's  hand. 

''You  are  all  right,"  he  said.  "Helen  shall 


FAREWELL  TO   THE   PRAIRIE.  179 

wait  for  you!  Go  and  do  your  work  like  a 
man,  and  you  shall  not  lack  for  friends  to  hail 
your  success  if  it  comes,  or  make  up  for  failure 
if  you  must  fail." 

And  down  came  Helen,  too,  clinging  at  first 
to  her  father,  but  he  joined  me,  and  we  stroll 
ed  away  together,  the  horses  cropping  at  the 
grass  beside  us,  and  so  we  left  the  lovers  to  say 
what  was  in  their  hearts. 

After  a  while  we  all  said  good-bye  for  the 
twentieth  time,  and  Appleton  and  I,  even  after 
all  that,  got  into  the  wagonette  and  rode  as 
far  as  the  beginning  of  the  boulevard  with 
Helen  and  her  father.  Then  at  last  we  said 
good-bye  in  earnest,  and  walked  in  perfect 
silence  back  to  our  dismantled  quarters. 

I  suppose  an  inventor  ranks  with  a  great 
general.  We  make  much  fuss  over  a  great 
soldier  or  a  great  commander  of  seamen.  I 
imagine  all  the  agony  of  thought  and  doubt 
and  contemplation  that  goes  on  within  the 
minds  of  these  as  within  that  of  an  inventor, 
doubting  whether  he  will  be  thought  a  success 
or  a  fool.  In  war  the  dreaming  boy  from  the 
country  becomes  the  Grant  or  the  Dewey.  In 
peace  times  the  dreaming  boy  becomes  the 


180  ARMAGEDDON. 

Kdison  or  the  Tesla.  the  imported  youth  the 
same  as  the  home-horn  youth,  and  so  \ve  all 
work  together. 

On  the  morning  when  the  serious  work  of 
dismantling  and  preparing  the  Wild  Goose  for 
shipment  was  to  begin,  we  had  looked  for  the 
Swansons,  to  whom  we  had  sent  word  a  day 
or  two  before  that  they  should  be  on  hand  and 
ready  to  help  us.  'When  we  came  out  before 
daybreak,  there,  standing  in  a  row  by  the  great 
shed  in  which  the  Wild  (loose  rested,  were 
three  figures,  an  old  man,  once  gigantic  of 
stature,  but  now  bent  and  worn,  although  still 
exhibiting  signs  of  sturdy  strength,  a  brown, 
withered  old  woman,  and  a  straight  young  one 
of  powerful  frame  and  erect,  fearless  mien.  We 
stopped,  surprised,  as  our  eyes  took  in  the 
little  group.  It  consisted  of  old  Swan.son,  his 
wife  and  Leda. 

"Where  are  the  boys?"  asked  Appleton, 
looking  at  the  old  man's  impassive  face. 

"  'Listed,"  replied  the  ancient  Swede,  with 
out  a  movement  or  gesture  of  face  or  figure. 
The  old  woman,  without  word  or  sound,  put 
her  blue  apron  to  her  eyes. 

"Frederickson  has  'listed,  too,"  announced 


FAREWELL   TO    THE   PRAIRIE.          l8l 

Leda,  looking  triumphantly  at  O'Brien,  who 
had  evidently  heard  the  news  before. 

"They  have  all  gone;  they  are  drilling  this 
morning,  and  go  soon  for  the  war.  We  can 
help  you.  We  will." 

So  spoke  the  vigorous  Leda,  and  with  such 
other  assistance  as  we  could  muster  we  were 
fain  to  be  content.  All  day  we  tugged  and 
strained  over  our  task  and  well  into  the  night, 
until  Appleton  cried  "Hold!  enough!"  Then 
the  silent,  obedient  workers  went  away,  after 
receiving  and  thanking  us  for  their  well- 
earned  wages. 

I  remember  the  remnant  of  that  Swedish 
family  well,  as  last  I  saw  it  on  the  morning  af 
ter  our  farewell  to  Helen  and  her  father.  The 
three  stood  close  to  the  railway  track  looking 
after  us  as  we  were  hurried  away  on  our  plat 
form  car,  a  part  of  a  long  freight  train.  There 
was  no  sign  of  regret  or  of  any  other  emotion 
on  the  faces  of  the  two  old  people.  Their 
faded  blue  eyes  looked  up  at  us,  followed  us, 
their  brown  hands  and  arms  were  waved  at  us 
after  their  angular  fashion  and  that  was  all. 
Leda,  the  Amazon,  showed  a  subdued  but  un 
mistakable  warlike  excitement.  Pier  eyes 


[82  ARMAGKDDON. 

shone,  her  checks  Hazed  with  colr)r,  her  whole 
j>erson  seemed  agitated  with  strong  feeling. 
She,  too,  waved  her  hand,  with  a  free  and 
really  noble  gesture. 

\Ve  swung  our  hats  over  our  heads,  the  sun 
showed  one-  red  streak  above  the  red  horizon, 
and  we  were  oil. 


THE   WILD   GOOSE   FLIES    EAST.        183 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE  WILD   GOOSE   FLIES    EAST. 

Our  departure  was  not  imposing  for  two 
such  confident  Americans  in  the  very  flood- 
tide  of  healthfullness  and,  what  might  be  call 
ed,  fightfulness  of  life.  We  have,  I  am  glad  to 
say,  since  been  counted  as  of  some  value  to 
our  country  and  the  world,  but  we  were  not 
considered  at  our  true  value  at  this  particular 
time.  There  was  trouble  and  it  made  us  hard- 
tip,  and  dipped  into  our  reserve  for  emergen 
cies.  We  had  to  take  the  Wild  Goose  from  the 
big  old  barn-like  structure  I  had  learned  to 
love,  to  the  railway  station  a  mile  and  a  half 
away.  When  we  got  there — but  it  is  needless 
to  tell  the  story  of  the  carrying  of  the  long 
thing  upon  joined  farmers1  wagons,  of  the 
break-downs,  and  the  difficulties,  merely  of 
mud  and  logs  and  little  up-hill  grades,  and  it 
is  needless  also  to  tell  how  Appleton  "fell 
down,"  that  is,  how  he  swore  as  George  Wash 
ington  is  said  to  have  sworn  at  the  battle  of 
Monmouth.  Only  this  I  have  to  say  that  a 


184  ARMAGKDDON. 

man  with  an  engineer's  training — 1  don't 
know  why  it's  so,  but  it  is  so — can,  it  seems  to 
me,  swear  better  than  any  other  man  upon  the 
faee  of  the  earth.  Appleton,  tin's  man  who  had 
thought  out  great  things,  the  man  who  was 
genuinely  and  delicately  and  earnestly,  and  in 
all  thoughtfulness  in  love  with  a  woman  who 
deserved  him  and  whom  he  deserved,  who  was 
what  we  call  a  fine  and  proper  fellow,  swore  on 
that  morning  in  a  manner  there's  no  use  talk 
ing"  about.  There  was  a  Grecian  named 
"Homer"  who  did  things  very  well  in  his  way, 
but  in  grandeur  he  couldn't  compare  with  Ap 
pleton. 

Among  us.  and  because  of  us,  and  between 
us,  we  got  ourselves  and  our  charge  upon  the 
cars,  on  a  freight  train  sent  by  an  unappreci- 
ativc  or  only  partly  appreciative  government, 
in  charge  merely  of  a  sergeant  of  marines  and 
two  men  who  were  to  take  care  of  us  in  a  gen 
eral  way,  who  knew  that  there  were  greater 
people  than  we,  who  were  possessed  of  an  in 
satiable  thirst  and  appetite,  and  whom  we  satis 
fied  and  captured  in  no  time.  All  this  was 
simple. 

The  trip  from  Chicago  to  the  Atlantic  Coast 
is  beautiful,  to  the  ordinary  traveler,  but  it  is, 


THE  WILD   GOOSE   FLIES    EAST.         185 

in  a  measure,  less  beautiful  to  thoughtful  ad 
venturers  in  charge  of  an  air-machine  laid 
upon  two  freight  cars  and  liable  to  have  its 
interior  suddenly  made  wrong  by  the  wrench 
which  must  inevitably  come  when  those  two 
freight  cars,  upon  which  the  long  machine  lies, 
turn  a  sudden  iron-laid  corner  at  too  great  a 
speed.  We  had  our  troubles  but  we  reached 
the  coast  in  excellent  condition.  Appleton 
left  us  after  the  first  day,  to  run  ahead  on  a 
passenger  express  train.  He  was  to  get  things 
ready  for  the  transfer  of  the  Wild  Goose  from 
the  railway  yards  to  the  United  States  ship  at 
her  dock  in  New  York. 

I  followed  with  Leander  O'Brien  and  the 
sergeant  and  his  men,  all  of  us  in  a  condition 
equally  hopeful  and  apprehensive  and,  in  a 
measure,  patriotically  daring.  In  the  conclu 
sion  of  the  last  sentence  I  speak  for  myself 
and  not  for  others.  I  had  a  qualm  now  and 
then  and  almost  wished  I  were  out  of  the 
whole  affair  more  than  once. 

The  skies  were  bright  and  the  trip  was  de 
lightful  as  we  went  from  Chicago  to  the  coast 
and  watched  vigilantly  over  the  Wild  Goose 
to  see  that  it  was  not  wrenched  sufficiently  to 
affect  it  as  it  was  twitched  around  the  curves. 


|W>  \RMAGEDnON 

\\'c  had  rows  with  the  trainmen  and  conducted 
ourselves  like  commonplace,  anxious  Ameri 
can  citizens  trying  to  i^et  valuable  freight  from 
one  point  to  another  point  in  t^ood  condition. 
\\'e  i;"ot  it  there,  too,  and  one  Leander  (  )'  lirien 
and  one  Sergeant  Snedeker  of  the  I'nited 
State's  Marine  Corps  were  the  really  effective 
forces.  It  was  they  who,  when  we  stopped 
anywhere,  leaped  from  the  cars  to  the  platform 
and  ran  ahead  and  had  certain  conversations 
at  each  station  \\ith  the  trainmen  and  railwav 
agents,  loud  conversations, the  cch< >es  of  which 
came  hack  from  the  trees  ^Towini;  upon  the 
adjacent  hill-sides,  such  conversations  inevit 
ably  resulting  in  the  doini^  l»y  the  trainmen  of 
whatever  O'llrien  and  his  firm  friend,  Sne 
deker,  demanded. 

A  freight  train — even  a  "fast  freight" — is  by 
no  means  comparable  to  li^htniiiL;'  in  its  speed. 
\\'e  were  five  davs  on  the  road  to  Xew  York 
where  we  were  to  board  the  Alaska,  one  of 
the  new  fleet  of  I  nited  State's  war-ships  which 
was  under  orders  to  sa.il  into  troubled  seas  as 
soon  as  we  were  safelv  stowed  with  our  pre 
cious  \Yild  (loose  under  her  proiechon. 

It  was  worth  while  to  look'  from  the  elevat 
ed  perch  on  the  "caboose"  at  the  end  of  our 


THE  WILD   GOOSE  FLIES   EAST.        187 

train,  and  see  what  was  going  on  in  the  quiet 
country  or  restless  towns  and  cities  all  along 
our  way.  In  the  level  wooded  lands  of  In 
diana,  the  more  richly  diversified  country  of 
Ohio,  the  mountain  ranges  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  the  placid  beauty  of  New  York,  the  cli 
max  of  scenic  loveliness  being  reached  when 
we  came  down  the  Hudson  River,  through  all 
the  changes  of  plain,  mountain  and  valley, 
rivers,  forests  and  lakes,  ran  the  vivid  and  visi 
ble  spirit  of  war.  In  many  a  lonely  mountain 
glen  or  level  meadow7  where  the  railway  had 
built  its  side-tracks,  we  saw  crowds  of  blue- 
coated  soldiers,  lounging  on  the  grass  at  mid 
day,  or  leaping  and  playing  at  all  sorts  of 
athletic  games  while  they  waited  for  the  sig 
nal  for  them  to  resume  their  journey  again 
toward  the  war  camps  which  were  springing 
up  in  the  East  and  South,  camps  of  prepara 
tion  and  drill,  where  green  boys  were  to  be 
converted  into  soldiers.  They  were  a  buoy 
ant  lot,  too.  When  our  train  hurried  by  one 
of  these  waiting  regiments  there  were  always 
scores  of  laughing  fellows  to  swing  their  kats 
in  the  air  and  wave  them  at  us. 

"Food  for  powder!"  I  would  mutter.    '''And 
what  food!     The  fresh  unspoiled  manhood  of 


1 88  ARMACKDDON. 

a  nation!"  Sometimes  when  O'Hrien,  who 
was  forever  by  me,  caught  the  import  of  my 
mutterings,  he  would  give  me  a  quizzical  look 
and  say,  "Well,  and  why  not?  I'm  thinkin' 
it's  as  good  to  be  food  for  powder  as  food  for 
fishes,  I  don'  know!" 

()'I>rien  had  serious  objections  to  going  up 
in  the  air  machine  over  the  water.  He  was 
willing  to  risk  it  above  the  good  solid  ground, 
but  when  it  came  to  planning  for  experiments 
at  sea  the  good  fellow,  although  he  would  not 
own  it,  was  shaken.  He  quoted  to  his  friend 
Snedeker,  the  old  story  of  the  man  who  said 
that  he  preferred  any  land  accident  to  one  at 
sea.  "If  your  railway  train  runs  off  the  track, 
and  you  are  thrown  out,  there  you  are!  Ihit 
if  your  ship  is  struck  and  you  are  spilled  out 
where  are  you?" 

Hut  Sergeant  Snedeker  of  the  United  States 
Marines  scoffed  at  ( )T>rien's  fears, and  told  him 
the  best  place  to  live  or  die  was  on  salt  water. 
Mis  words  may  have  had  more  or  less  eftect, 
but  not  even  the  terrors  of  the  salt  sea  could 
really  keep  OT»rien  from  following  our  for 
tunes  to  their  end,  no  matter  what  that  end 
might  be.  lie  was  loyal  even  to  his  tongue, 
and  maintained  the  honor  of  the  navv  gallantlv 


THE  WILD   GOOSE  FLIES   EAST.        189 

always,  when  once  our  journey  was  ended,  and 
we  were  through  being  jerked  and  "snaked" 
along  after  a  hooting,  puffing,  soft-coal-burn 
ing  railway  engine. 

The  honest  fellow  had  been  well  tried,  and 
I  knew  that  there  was  no  back-down  in  him, 
notwithstanding  his  brag  and  bluster.  He 
had  a  steady  head,  and  a  cool  set  of  hardy 
nerves.  High  in  the  clouds  he  could  stand  on 
our  frail  foot  space,  and  look  down  calmly, 
taking  note  minutely  of  whatever  was  passing 
below.  Furthermore,  he  could  walk  about 
and  climb  like  a  cat,  and  hang  over  a  rope  net 
ting  or  wire  guard  in  such  apparent  peril  as 
took  away  the  breath  of  the  looker-on,  but  in 
no  way  affected  the  respiration  of  O'Brien 
himself.  I  had  no  fears  for  him  if  there  should 
come  the  time  when  far  under  him  at  his  post 
in  the  air-machine  the  ocean  heaved  in  place 
of  the  solid  ground.  When  the  hour  for  ac 
tion  comes  fear  has  no  place  in  the  make-up  of 
such  fellows  as  Leander  O'Brien. 

Appleton  met  us  in  the  freight  yard  at  the 
end  of  our  journey.  He  was  ready  to  transfer 
the  Wild  Goose  to  the  Alaska,  and  with  such 
help  as  he  had  secured,  the  task  was  not  a 
hard  one. 


i<;o  ARMAGEDDON 

\\  e  were  met  courteous! v  by  tlie  command 
er  of  the  United  States  ship,  introduced  to  his 
officers,  and  assigned  our  quarters,  OTmen 
having  his  place  in  some  part  of  the  ship  al 
lotted  to  men  of  about  his  standing  in  naval 
circles,  whatever  it  may  he.  Ik-fore  dark  on 
the  day  of  our  arrival  on  hoard  ship,  the 
Alaska  put  to  sea  with  sealed  orders.  The 
next  morning  we  \vere  well  out  of  sight  of 
land  hut  in  the  midst  of  a  threat  fleet  of  war 
ships  we  had  joined  in  the  night. 

Appleton  and  1  were  fairlv  fascinated  hy  the 
near  presence  of  a  vast  section  of  the  navy. 
\Ve  were  never  tired  of  watching  from  our 
ducks  the  iron-clad,  uirreted  monsters,  and  of 
discussing  their  various  death-dealing  contriv 
ances.  The  great  ships  kept  well  away  from 
each  other,  hut  there  was  always  one  within 
plain  reach  of  our  glasses,  often  more,  and 
they  were  ever  suhjects  of  our  study  and  ad 
miration. 

As  for  us,  we  were  treated  hy  the  naval  offi 
cers  of  our  ship  and  of  the  squadron  with  pa 
tient,  respectful  politeness  in  which  we  could 
not  but  discover  a  slight  but  keen  edge  of  tol 
eration  and  even  amusement. 

O'Urien  in  his  quarters  below  caused  the 


THE  WILD  GOOSE  FLIES   EAST.        191 

sailors  amusement  without  toleration  even,  to 
say  nothing  of  politeness.  Loud  and  angry 
were  his  expressions  against  the  "sea  chumps" 
as  he  miscalled  the  critics.  Eventually  a  series 
of  desperate  conflicts  lightened  his  existence 
and  that  of  his  companions  of  the  "foke'sl," 
and  then  began  O'Brien's  conquests.  He  soon 
had  a  half  a  dozen  steadfast  friends,  men  he 
had  soundly  thrashed  in  fair  fight,  and  from 
this  time  on  his  life  on  board  the  Alaska  was 
one  long  holiday,  broken  only  by  temporary 
soreness  of  spirit  when  the  Wild  Goose  was 
slightingly  spoken  of,  but  always  his  bruised 
feelings  could  be  immediately  salved  by  bruis 
ing  the  flesh  and  bones  of  his  tormentors,  and 
so  he  enjoyed  his  holiday  with  a  light  heart 
and  with  practically  no  interruptions. 


1 92  ARMAGEDDON. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

ON    BOARD   Till-:   ALASKA. 

Nothing  could  lia\c  been  more  radical  than 
the  change  from  our  camping  outfit  on  the 
Illinois  prairie  to  the  plunge  we  now  made  into 
the  great  \yorld  struggle.  Our  work  and  ex- 
periments  had  hecn  so  ([tiietly  conducted,  and 
were  of  such  a  practical  nature,  even  common 
place  except  for  the  constant  presence  of  grave 
danger,  that,  in  retrospect,  the  time  during  our 
summer  of  preparation  seems  to  me,  at  least, 
like  some  unmatched  piece  out  of  a  life  which 
has  in  every  other  phase  heen  full  of  stir  and 
stress. 

When  we  were  once  at  sea  with  the  war 
fleet,  the  prospect  of  action  looming  large 
directly  on  the  morrow,  the  time  at  hand  when 
our  venture  must  he  made  for  good  or  ill,  Ap- 
pleton  seemed  to  awake  as  from  a  troubled 
.and  anxious  dream.  Ilis  preoccupation  and 
abstraction  fell  from  him  like  wornout  gar 
ments.  There  was  in  him  no  trace  of  excited 
hopefulness  or  nervous  dread  over  the  trial 


ON   BOARD  THE  ALASKA.  1Q3 

just  before  him.  Instead  of  the  care  and 
anxiety  which  might  have  been  expected  to 
overwhelm  him,  there  was  absolute  freedom 
from  anything  of  the  kind.  He  was  as  care 
less  and  joyous  as  a  boy,  in  higher  spirits  and 
with  more  complete  abandon  to  the  hour  than 
I  had  ever  seen  him  in  before,  or  since.  Every 
cloud  was  gone  from  his  face,  even  the  slight 
stoop  in  his  shoulders  vanished;  his  spare 
frame  gained  in  flesh,  and  his  limbs  in  muscle, 
during  our  voyage. 

It  was  delightful  to  see  the  inventor's  spirit 
and  body  flourish  in  the  forcing  atmosphere  of 
certainty  of  action,  after  long  continued  and 
even  agonizing  experiment,  argument  and 
anticipation.  It  was  the  old  story  over  again 
of  the  youth  singing  as  he  goes  to  battle. 

Following  loyally  Appleton's  example,  after 
the  first  onslaught  of  seasickness  was  over,  be 
it  remarked,  Leander  O'Brien,  under  the  cir 
cumstances  already  described,  also  exhibited 
new  and  cheerful  phases  of  character.  He  had 
reached  an  undreamed  of  height  of  glory  and 
delight.  His  fighting  blood  was  humming  all 
the  time  under  the  stimulus  of  his  war-like 
surroundings.  His  pride  in  the  Wild  Goose 

was  unbounded.     Nothing  could  dim  his  con- 
is 


194  ARMAGEDDON. 

fidcnce  in  the  ultimate  success  of  Appleton 
and  his  invention,  and  before  the  end  of  our 
voyage  he  had  made  many  converts  to  his 
opinions  among  the  warm  hearted  tars  of  the 
Alaska. 

Upon  the  warship  the  Wild  (loose  had  been, 
it  seemed  to  me,  almost  a  trifle  grudgingly 
given  tint  place  upon  the  huge  deck  whence 
it  could  most  ea-ily  depart  when  its  time 
should  corae  for  making  an  ascent.  I  know 
very  little  about  the  lashings  of  the  machine, 
or  about  the  way  they  adjusted  it,  but,  though 
thev  might  look  more  or  less  contemptuously 
upon  it.  L  know  that  the  machine  was  as  well 
placed  as  could  be  devised  by  the  officers  in 
charge,  with  a  due  regard  to  the  quick  releas 
ing  of  a  thing  which  might,  within  the  range 
of  possibility,  be  of  some  possible  good  in  a 
po>>ible  emergency.  To  the  end  of  our  stay 
upon  the  warship  we  constantly  received 
courteous  treatment  from  the  officers,  and  our 
suggestions  were  received  politely.  As  to  the 
first  adjustment  upon  deck  of  the  queer  device 
which  might  become  suddenly  an  uplifting 
thing,  our  advice  was  asked,  and  then  gener 
al!}-  ignore'!,  but  after  much  fussing  and 
stanchioning  and  bindins/  and  bracing  the 


ON  BOARD  THE  ALASKA.  195 

Wild  Goose  seemed  to  be  reasonably  secure. 

Appleton  and  I,  as  having  a  certain  govern 
mental  dignity,  messed  with  the  officers  of  the 
Alaska  and  were  treated  by  them  with  all  com 
radeship  and  good  feeling,  though  they  laugh 
ed  at  us  aside,  we  were  sure.  Captain  Hillis, 
a  man  of  many  parts,  an  accomplished  and  ex 
perienced  officer  of  the  navy,  and  one  who 
would  not  have  neglected  any  duty  he  thought 
due  his  country  even  in  the  way  of  caring  for 
a  thing  he  did  not  believe  in,  but  which  had 
been  forced  upon  him  by  his  superiors,  treat 
ed  us  as  social  equals  though  we  felt  that  in 
his  estimation  he  had  been  burdened  with 
some  extra  freightage  and  two  cranks  and 
their  helper.  Nevertheless,  at  table,  and  at  all 
times,  he  endured  us  patiently,  and  made  us' 
comfortable  in  a  manly  way. 

Of  course  it  was  impossible  that  two  men 
situated  as  we  were,  though  hitherto  civilians, 
could  be  daily  at  table  with  these  American 
naval  officers  without  certain  allusions  to  our 
strange  enterprise.  There  were  often  buoyant 
remarks  from  the  younger  officers  regarding 
the  nature  of  our  mission,  and  it  was  inevit 
able  that  I  should  chaff  back  again  or  that  Ap 
pleton  should  become  fiercely  earnest  and  en- 


n/>  ARMAGEDDON. 

thusiastic.  The  elder  officers  never  committed 
themselves,  though  they  had  something  to 
say  in  our  larkings  and  debates.  Among  the 
younger  ones,  though,  we  gradually  found 
some  stanch  admirers  and  one  or  two  who  had 
great  belief  in  us.  ( )ne  of  these  was  a  lieuten 
ant  named  Goodman,  a  descendant,  perhaps, 
of  the  famous  captain  named  in  the  saucy  na 
tional  song,  and  another,  also  a  lieutenant, 
though  a  junior  one,  named  Garrity,  who 
could  make  good  jokes  and  Irish  bulls  and 
wa.i  altogether  a  delicious  fellow.  And  so  we 
sailed  southeastward  toward  summer  seas. 

One  day  while  Appleton,  O'Brien  and  I 
were  fumbling  over  the  Wild  Goose,  as  was 
our  custom  almost  daily, — there  was  always 
something  that  needed,  or  we  thought  needed, 
looking  to — 1  suddenly  remembered  O'Brien's 
dog,  and  asked  what  had  become  of  Fitz.  I 
had  not  even  seen  him  during  the  last  day  or 
two  before  we  left  the  prairie. 

Appleton  looked  up  inquiringly,  at  my  ques 
tion,  lie,  also,  had  evidently  forgotten  poor 
Fitz  so  entirely  as  not  even  to  miss  his  some 
what  oppressive  presence. 

O'Brien,  as  we  looked  at  him  after  an  ap 
parently  innocent  querv,  showed  Mgns  of  em- 


ON    BOARD   THE   ALASKA.  197 

barrassment,  which  in  him  were  so  rare  as  to 
be  astonishing  if  not  alarming.  His  face  be 
came  a  deeper  red  than  the  permanent  hue 
the  sun  and  the  sea  winds  had  already  painted 
there.  He  almost  turned  his  back  on  us  and 
tied  and  untied,  uneasily,  a  bit  of  rope  he  had 
in  his  hands. 

"Why,  O'Brien,"  said  Applcton,  "you 
haven't  smuggled  your  dog  aboard,  have 
you?" 

Neither  of  us  could  help  laughing  at  such 
a  freak,  but  from  O'Brien's  demeanor  we  had 
both  jumped  to  the  conclusion  that,  rather 
than  part  with  Fitz,  his  master  had  brought 
him  along  in  defiance  of  fate. 

"Xaw,  sir,"  O'Brien  spoke  up  quite  readily 
now,  "Fitz  is  back  west  all  right.  He  ain't 
no  sea-going  dog." 

"Where, — what  did  you  do  with  him?" 

O'Brien  gave  his  trousers  a  hitch,  a  trick  he 
had  learned  of  the  sailors,  and  approached 
me.  Lowering  his  voice  so  that  Appleton 
could  not  hear,  he  said  in  my  ear: 

"I  made  a  present  of  Fitz  to  Miss  Daggart. 
A  fine  young  lady  she  is,  and  she  promised  to 
take  the  best  of  care  of  the  dog,  and  give  him 
back  to  me  if  1  should  ever  want  him,  al- 


though.  ( nice  giving  him  a>  a  present,  never 
would  I  think  of  asking  him  hack,  good 
h^hter  as  he  is!  I  ain't  no  'Injun  giver.  See?" 

"I  low  in  the  world  did  you  get  Fit/  to  Miss 
naggart;"  said  I,  aloud,  so  that  Appleton 
could  hear. 

"I  tuck  him  to  her  house,"  O'P>rien  declar 
ed,  and  then,  with  a  deprecating  look  at  Ap- 
pleton.  he  muttered  that  he  had  left  something 
indispensable  to  his  immediate  duties  below, 
and  disappeared. 

\\  hen  our  laugh  was  over,  for  the  picture 
conjured  up  in  our  minds  of  Helen  in  her 
serene  and  perfect  beauty,  with  Fit/,  the  epi 
tome  of  all  ugliness,  as  her  charge  and  pet, 
convulsed  us.  we  sent  for  ()'l'»rien.  Xow 
that  his  secret  was  out  he  told  us  readily 
enough  how  he  had  taken  Fit/  to  Helen  on 
the  dav  of  his  last  visit  to  Chicago  before  we 
left,  and  how  Helen  had  accepted  his  gift  mo>t 
graciously  and  appreciatively,  and  how  >he 
had  comforted  his  honest  heart  by  assuring 
him  that  she  would  see  personally  to  the  com 
fort  and  well-being  of  the  dog. 

"I  hit  after  all."  concluded  ()T>rien,  a 
shadow  crossing  his  glowing  face,  "It'll  be  a 


ON    BOARD   THE   ALASKA.  199 

hit  (lull  for  poor  Fitz.  There's  little  chance 
for  a  fight  at  Daggart's!" 

"Well,  he'll  soon  be  out  of  condition,  any 
way,"  I  assured  the  worried  owner  of  this  hull- 
dog  doomed  to  a  life  of  inactivity.  "He'll  he 
fat  and  lazy  and  you  wouldn't  want  him  to 
fight  anyway,  now  that  he  belongs  to  Miss 
Daggart." 

"Sure!"  assented  O'Brien,  brightening  up 
again. 

On  another  day  Appleton,  Lieutenant  Gar- 
rity  and  I  were  sitting  after  dinner  smoking 
listlessly  and  enjoying  the  effect  of  moonlight 
upon  the  long  white  limb  of  the  inverted  V  of 
foam  which  stretched  out  on  either  side  as  the 
ship  rushed  through  the  water.  Appleton  and 
I  chatted  concerning  something  inconsequen 
tial,  but  Garrity  had  lapsed  into  a  brown  study. 
Suddenly  he  broke  out: 

"It's  a  droll  thing,  anyway." 

"What's  a  droll  thing?"  I  asked. 

"Why,  my  being  here  at  all." 

"What  do  you  mean?" 

"Why  man,  it's  plain  as  a  pikestaff,  it's  Irish 
all  the  way  through- — my  course,  I  mean. 
Here  I  am,  an  Irishman,  as  there  are  thou 
sands  of  other  Irishmen  in  this  fleet,  going 


200 


•;ome!y  into  a  fray  \vith  the  express  ob 
ject  of  knocking;  into  smithereens  the  oppon 
ents  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  rare.  Kh!  but  we're 
a  queer  !  t,  we  irishmen.  \\Vve  been  too 
fond  of  fight  in'  and  oilier  'divarshin'  since  cen 
turies  before  I'rian  Uoru's  great-great-great- 
grandmother  was  a  baby.  We've  won  thou 
sands  of  victories,  but  got  credit  for  might v 
few  ol  them  save  \vhcn  we  \vere  fighting 
among  otirselves,  and  now  we're  tumbling  in 
shoulder  to  shoulder  with  the  hated  Sassenach, 
as  usual.  It's  national  suicide  we're  commit 
ting,  nothing  short  of  it."  And  he  heaved  a 
sigh,  at  the  same  time  ^"ivhu:  me  a  deprecat 
ing,  and  mo.  1  coiniutl  look,  aside. 

"Nonsense, "  said  Ajipletun.  "it  isn't  a 
stni^ide  bel\\een  th.e  An^lo-Saxon  and  the 
rest  of  the  world,  the  Anglo-Saxons  are  Teu 
tons,  anvhow,  and  if  I'm  not  mistaken,  we'll 
presentlv  be  ^ettit1.^  liard  Teutonic  thumps. 
If  it  were  a  clean  division,  as  i'  seems  to  be  just 
now,  it  \\onld  be  ninvise.  raciallv  considered, 
as  between  the  Kiudish  sneaking  and  other 
races;  but  it  isn't  e\"en  that.  f<>r  those  blessed 
Japs  are  going  to  gi\'e  an  account  of  them 
selves  on  our  side,  and  we  haven't  a  thing  in 
the  world  against  the  Shah  of  I'ersia  and  a 


OX    BOARD   THE   ALASKA.  2OI 

lot  of  others.  "Why,  man,  I  don't  bclic\  c 
there's  a  pure  blooded  Celt  or  Saxon  in  all  our 
force.  "We're  so  mixed  and  intermingled, 
you  Irishmen  are  so  deft  at  love-making",  and 
the  rest  of  us  travel  so  far,  that  there's  no 
telling'  any  more  what's  what.  It  would  be 
better,  peniaps,  if  we  were  all  of  one  religion. 
Of  course,  that's  what  has  made  most  of  the 
trouble.  In  my  opinion  either  Henry  VIII. 
should  have  remained  a  good  Catholic  or  have 
licked  you  more  thoroughly  into  his  way  of 
thinking,  but  religions  don't  cut  the  figure 
they  did  once  in  the  affairs  of  nations.  Just  be 
content.  What  more  could  an  Irishman  want 
than  a  fight,  and,  my  boy.  you'll  get  it.  How 
ever,"  lie  concluded,  reflectively,  "this  will 
be  the  last  great  war;  there  are  reasons  for 
saying  it."  And  he  smoked  away  silently. 

"Of  course  you  are  thinking  of  your  wobbly 
old  sky-scraper,"  said  Garrity.  ''Well,  I  don't 
want  to  cast  a  shadow  over  you,  but  when  a 
man  fall^  a  mile  and  hits  the  water  he's  Hat,  and 
the  fishes  bite  into  him  and  cat  him  from  the 
side  as  they  would  a  pie!" 

And  so  we,  Celt  and  Saxon,  chaffed  and 
imagined  things  together.  We  talked,  Ap- 
pleton  and  I,  of  our  boyish  midnight  exploits 


2O2 

in  the  country,  rind  (iarrity  told  of  the  (|ueer 
things  aliove  the  boq-s  and  of  tlie  Panshce 
which  scream:;  when  death  is  to  come  in  Irish 
castles  or  anywhere  in  particular  where  Pan- 
shees  may  roam.  And  then  we  leaned  hack 
indolently  and  smoked  and  said  nothing  and 
looked  southward,  where  the  outlook  from 
our  side  <  >f  the  ship  Mended,  despite  the  moon 
light,  into  darkness. 

A  thin  fo;j:  came  up  and  the  lights  of  other 
ships  were  hare!}'  visible.  All  at  once,  away 
off  to  the  ri;;'ht  loomed  up  something  white 
and  ghostly.  I*,  seemed  rushing  hy  in  a  direc 
tion  opposite  our  own.  though  this  effect  was 
produced  chielly  l>v  the  speed  of  our  own 
jin'eat  craft.  It  was  nut  a  sailing  vessel,  one  of 
the  few  vagrants  Mill  left  upon  the  ocean.  \\'e 
all  knew  what  it  was,  but  the  effect  remained. 
It  recalled  to  my  mind  the  old  legend  of  the 
sea  and  I  mumbled  out  something  about  the 
Flving  I  )utchman. 

"1  \\i-h  it  were,  by  Jove  I  do!"  said  (lar- 
rity.  ''It  would  do  one'-'  eyes  ^'ood  to  have 
a  MLdit  of  it.  I  have  a  sympathy  for  her.  Poor 
<ild  tiling;  sheV  ^'('in^'  to  be  nni;hly  lonesome 
in  the  future.  There  may  be  piratc>  a^ain, 
there  mav  be  tragedies  galore  on  .shipboard 


ON    BOARD   THE   ALASKA.  203 

and,  for  aught  1  know,  there  may  be  another 
ship  destined  to  everlasting  wanderings;  but 
the  Flying  Dutchman  and  she  wouldn't 
recognize  each  other  as  ships,  were  they  to 
meet.  Imagine  one  of  these  iron  steamships 
turned  into  a  Flying  Dutchman!  You'd  hear 
reports  from  time  to  time  from  seafaring  men 
who,  in  latitude  this  and  longitude  that,  saw 
a  mysterious  old  whaleback  with  a  rusty  turret 
on,  wallowing  about  and  trying  ineffectually 
to  sink,  not  a  man  visible,  of  course.  No 
spectral  sails  and  no  long-bearded  men  you 
can  see  through  on  the  deck  below,  nothing 
but  an  old  tub  awash  !  There's  no  romance,  no 
mystery,  nothing  to  raise  the  hair  on  a  man's 
head  in  the  idea!  You  might  as  well  try  to 
make  a  Flying  Dutchman  out  of  a  ware 
house!" 


204  ARMAGEDDON. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


It  was  a  morning  of  dazzling  sunshine  when 
we  met  the  llritish  fleet  off  the  "blue  Ca 
naries,"  those  i>lands  known  to  most  Knglish 
speaking  people  mainly  through  an  old  song. 
It  is  a  bine  world  down  there;  the  water  and 
the  sky  are  Hue  as  no\\h.ere  el.-e  in  the  At 
lantic,  ii  seems  to  me,  and  the  islands  ri^e 
misty  and  dreamy  in  another  shade  of  blue 
from  the  ocean's  bosom. 

All  the  world  knows  of  that  meeting  of  the 
allied  tleet<  on  that  sunny  morning.  The  dav 
is  already  the  ehox/ii  theme  ol  poets  and  paint 
ers,  and  has  been  described  bv  a  thousand  pens 
with  varying  degree.-  of  enthnsia>m  and  truth. 

Xo  man  ever  saw  a  more  impressive  sight. 
I  can  remember  every  detail  of  it  as  it  looked 
to  me.  but  1  am  glad  it  docs  not  remain  to  me 
to  docribe  it.  1  stood  silently  by  Appleton 
when  we  came  in  close  view  with  our  glares 
of  the  iron  mongers  of  the  Ilriti.-h  navy.  As 
the  grim  line  of  battle-ships  gave  forth  their 


ARMAGEDDON.  205 

din  of  salute  to  our  flag-ship  my  heart  jumped 
into  my  throat,  and  tears  found  an  unaccus 
tomed  place  in  my  eyes.  It  was  beautiful,  but 
with  the  beauty  of  terror,  that  assembly  of 
naked  metal  fighting  machines  lying  there  on 
the  strongly  heaving  yet  unbroken  sea  of  blue 
water.  How  our  men  cheered  as  we  swept 
into  that  remote  companionship  which  naval 
custom  prescribes  for  r-hips,  and  what  deep, 
loud  cheering  came  across  the  water  from  our 
kinsmen  after  the  roaring  cannons  were  still 
and  the  flag  dipping  was  over. 

Then  there  was  a  great  wig-wagging  of  sig 
nals,  and  trim  boats  with  jaunty  crews  clad  in 
snow-white  went  dancing  about,  carrying  the 
commanders  to  our  Admiral's  ship  and  him 
to  the  British  Admiral,  who  stood  awaiting 
his  visitors  on  the  deck  of  his  own  great  bat 
tle-ship. 

I  stood  still  on  the  Alaska's  deck  in  a  sort  of 
trance,  so  great  and  bewildering  was  the  mo 
ment  of  time  in  which  I  was  living,  and  I  re 
member  little  more  of  that  day  or  night,  so 
profound  was  the  impression  of  that  meeting 
of  giants  on  the  heaving  ocean. 

Then  that  other  storied  morning  when  our 
allied  fleets  met  the  cnemv,  came  in  few  days 


206  ARMA(;KI)1K)N. 

or  man\';  it  mattered  not  to  us,  so  busy  were 
\ve,  and  so  hot  over  the  coming  fight.  \\  e 
steered  straight  for  Gibraltar,  and  the  Latins 
came  out  to  meet  us,  as  all  the  world  knows, 
and  offered  us  battle  before  the  German  Ad 
miral  with  his  shi])S  had  joined  them.  \Ye 
were  prepared.  \Ye  had  been  awake  all  night, 
and  so  had  every  soul  in  our  allied  squadrons, 
and  before  the  first  streak  of  dawn,  every  man 
was  at  his  post  on  his  ship  read}'  for  action. 

Appleton  was  anxious  about  one  tiling  only, 
an«!  that  was,  which  way  the  wind  was  blow 
ing.  It  meant  evervthing  to  him,  and  to  me; 
nothing  to  anyone  else  around  us. 

There  was  no  confusion  nor  disorder. 
Kverything  was  so  perfectly  arranged  for  the 
coming-  fight  that  the  officers  and  men  near 
us  were  idly  curious  over  our  getting  away; 
so  free  were  their  minds  from  cares  of  detail, 
and  their  gallant  hearts  from  any  question  as 
to  the  outcome  of  the  tremendous  struggle  in 
which  they  were  soon  to  be  engaged.  I!y  the 
growing  light  we  worked,  and  I  will  admit 
that  I  was  one  of  the  most  frightened  men 
in  the  world  when  we  began  preparations  for 
lifting  our  miserable  little  air-machine  from 
the  deck  of  the  Alaska.  There  was  nothing  in 


ARMAGEDDON.  207 

the  surroundings  to  encourage  a  fellow.  Even 
the  sailors  grinned  at  us,  though  there  may 
have  been  a  trace  of  pity  in  the  expression  of 
some  of  their  countenances  because,  of  course, 
they  thought  we  would  be  drowned.  But  I 
was  the  only  funking  man;  as  for  Appleton, 
he  was  so  earnest  and  active  and  unthinking 
of  anything  but  success,  that  he  was  irritating 
to  me.  O'Brien  was,  as  always,  brimming 
over  with  confidence,  lie  replied  briskly  to 
the  chaffing,  and  was  happy.  He  had  not  yet 
learned  that  lie  was  not  to  be  taken  with  us 
on  the  trip.  Despite  my  own  alarm,  I  found 
occasion  to  get  mad  and  wanted  to  throw  at 
Appleton  one  of  the  thole-pins  which  lay  so 
easy  to  my  hand.  I  was  quivering  with  anger 
and  impatience  all  the  time  I  was  aiding 
him  and  disentangling  and  getting  ready  to 
iloat  aloft  our  preposterous  old  silvery-brown 
cigar  of  a  tiling,  just  a  piece  of  impertinence 
to  be  plumped  up  into  the  sky  and  intended, 
with  all  arrogance,  to  set  a  new  pace  for  the 
war-prancing  of  the  world,  and  to  suggest  new' 
premises  and  new  ideas  for  the  statesmen  of 
the  world. 

All  the  time  Garrity  danced  about  us  and 
did  intelligently  at  least  more  work  than  I  in 


JoS  ARMAGEDDON. 

the  releasing  of  the  air-machine  and  probably 
as  much  as  did  Appleton.  1  think  I  fell  more 
in  love  \vith  that  wild  Irislnnan  on  that  partic 
ular  occasion  than  at  any  previous  period  of 
(Mir  acquaintance.  There  v;as  something  so  as 
tonishing  in  his  activity  in  the  cause  with 
\\hich  he  disagreed,  and  soniething  so  lovable 
in  his  desire  for  immediate  light,  that  I  re 
gretted  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart  that  he 
\vas  not  to  rise  aloft  with  us.  \\'e  had.  finally, 
the  assistance  of  the  sailors,  and  at  la>t  the 
Wild  Goose  began  to  put  on  airs.  It  lifted 
itself  from  its  ignoble  place  upon  the  deck  and 
exhibited  anxiety  to  go  somewhere.  Some  of 
the  uftlccrs  of  the  vessel  stood  about  us,  and 
the  comments  they  made,  even  then,  were 
scandalous,  ileing  friend.-;,  we  chaffed  at  each 
other  in  a  way  which  could  not  otherwise  have 
been  endured.  Heing  men  about  U>  take  our 
lives  in  our  hands,  \\  e  talked  lightly  of  what 
was  about  to  happen.  Those  blaxing  good  fel 
lows  in  bedecked  uniforms  laughed  in  my 
face  when  I  told  them,  jauntily  and  laughing 
ly,  that  we  were  probably  all  that  could  save 
them,  although  my  heart  was  not  a  great  way 
from  my  mouth  when  I  was  doing  all  this 
boasting.  As  for  them,  thev  <implv  counted 


ARMAGEDDON.  209 

Applcton  and  me  as  dead  men.  We  were 
already  instinctively  relegated  to  the  list  of 
those  who  must  disappear  in  the  action  about 
to  follow. 

Meanwhile  Appleton  was  puttering  around 
and  looking  after  details.  Even  at  this  late 
day  1  question  the  course  of  that  gentleman 
at  that  particular  juncture.  lie  should  have 
risen  a  little  more  to  the  heroic  aspect  of  the 
occasion.  He  didn't  rise  at  all.  He  simply 
trotted  around  with  some  small  tool  in  his 
hand,  looking  after  the  little  things  we  were 
to  have  with  us  and  giving  directions  to 
O'Brien  and  the  other  fellows  in  a  low  and 
pleasant  voice. 

When  all  was  arranged  for  cutting  loose,  the 
officers  of  the  big  warship  gathered  about 
us,  and  I  will  say  for  them  that  then,  at  that 
last  moment,  they  showed  a  little  feeling,  for 
there  was  a  strong  grip  in  the  hand  shakes 
[  got.  They  thought  us  lunatics,  but  they 
knew  that  so  far  as  the  United  States  of 
America  was  concerned,  our  hearts  were  in 
the  right  place  and  that,  even  though  we 
failed,  we  were  brothers  in  arms  and  meant  all 
right.  It  was  all  good,  but,  by  Jove!  the  airs 
I've  put  on  over  those  officers  when  I've  met 

14 


210  ARMAGEDDON. 

them  since!  The}'  didn't  know  the  kind  <»f 
people  the}'  were  taking  leave  of!  They  were 
nieivlv  good  hearted,  plucky  and  half-sorrow 
ful  fellows  seeing  us,  as  they  thought,  depart 
to  death. 

Poor  O'nrien!  At  the  last  day  Appleton 
had  decided  against  his  going  with  us,  and  he 
was  disconsolate.  The  risk"  was  too  great,  and 
then  the  weight  of  one  more  person  counted 
in  (Mir  frail  lighting  machine. 

And  then,  just  then,  as  if  to  spoil  our  mo 
ment  of  farewell.  O'P.rien,  the  faithful,  who 
had  been  working  inside  the  carrier,  on  the 
machinery,  discovered  some  defect  in  one  of 
the  automatic  air-pumps.  Appleton  sprang 
impatiently  into  the  carrier,  and  l>egan  fu- 
rinusly  examining  as  to  the  trouble.  An 
hour's  delay  might  mean  everlasting  failure. 
Then  there1  came  a  signal,  and  in  a  moment 
we  were  forgotten,  we  three  forlorn  land-luh- 
hers.  l>v  everyone  on  that  ship. 

The  advance  ships  of  the  enemy  were  in 
sight. 

\Ve  fumed  and  fretted,  unheard  and  un 
noted,  and  neither  knew  nor  cared  what  was 
going  on  around  us.  (  hir  ship,  we  realized, 
was  under  increased  speed,  and  after  a  while 


ARMAGEDDON. 

we  heard  the  deep  roar  of  distant  guns,  Japan 
ese,  as  we  learned  later.  O'Brien,  who  was 
at  Appleton's  side,  just  lifted  his  head  and 
said : 

"It's  begun!" 

Now  the  little  break  in  machinery  had 
been  repaired,  although  not  to  O'Brien's 
satisfaction.  He  begged  to  be  taken  with 
us. 

"Youse'll  need  me,  Air.  Appleton;  won't 
you,  Mr.  AYentworth?"  he  said  earnestly.  "Let 
me  go." 

But  Appleton  had  decided  once  for  all. 
Something  in  the  look  he  gave  O'Brien  made 
me  understand  why  he  ordered  him  to  re 
main.  It  made  me  quake  a  little  for  a  mo 
ment,  but  Appleton  called  to  me  to  take  my 
place  in  the  carrier  of  the  machine,  and  the 
quaking  was  over. 

Just  as  we  got  under  way  the  Alaska,  which 
had  wheeled  into  her  place  in  the  line  of 
action,  let  go  one  of  her  great  guns,  and  as  if 
impelled  by  its  shock  and  roar,  we  rose  swift 
ly  into  the  air.  \Ye  were  still  practically  un 
noticed  and  unconsidered,  though  people 
ordinarily  watch  the  rising  of  a  balloon  or  any 
thing  like  it,  and  we  attracted  no  attention 


212  ARMAGEDDON. 

fmm  the  other  ships.  Those  aboard  had  too 
much  on  their  minds  to  devote  anv  attention 
to  the  cx])erimcnt  of  a  eonple  of  presumable 
fools.  They  had  a  fight  on  hand,  the  result 
of  which  would  be  to  test  the  soundness  of  all 
theories  eonnected  with  the  fighting  of  men  in 
iron  ships.  Our  experiment  might  do  to  talk 
about  afterward.  Neither  friend  nor  foe 
thought  of  us  at  all.  \Ye  gave  much  thought, 
however,  to  the  enemy.  A  shot  from  them 
would  have  been  an  unwelcome  visitor  to  us 
just  as  we  left  the  ship,  and  we  could  not  help 
knowing  that  at  first  we  were  a  fair  mark.  \Ye 
rose  quickly,  once  started,  and  then  wavered 
and  hung  above  the  Alaska,  not  yet  out  of 
range,  and  for  the  moment  far  from  safe. 


APPLETON    BECOMES    "PRACTICAL."  213 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

APPLETON    BECOMES    "PRACTICAL." 

It  is  not  injustice  to  say  of  the  \Yilcl  Goose 
that  immediately  after  her  swift  departure 
from  the  warship,  though  she  carried  two 
Qrsars  and  their  fortunes,  she  behaved  in  a 
most  unpatriotic,  not  to  say  uncertain,  man 
ner.  Something"  did  not  work  well — I  don't 
remember  now  just  what  it  was — but  it  did  not 
work,  and  the  question  was  imminent  for  a 
second  or  two  as  to  whether  we  should  "seek 
the  ether,"  a  proceeding  which  we  had  often 
alluded  to  in  our  conversations,  or  suddenly 
drop  flatly  or  sideways,  or  any  other  way,  into 
what  I  had  been  accustomed  to  describe  in 
talks  of  anticipation  with  Appleton,  as  "a 
watery  grave."  Appleton  had  hitherto  replied 
to  such  allusions  irrelevantly,  though  in  a  loud 
and  resonant  voice.  Now  we  both  thought  a 
good  deal,  but  said  nothing  about  the  ether 
or  the  water.  The  machinery  yielded  to  Ap- 
pleton's  coaxing  at  last,  after  a  fashion,  and 
just  in  time,  and  then  the  Wild  Goose  seemed 


rather  to  seek  the  companionship  of  the  li^'lit 
el  m<ls  that  were  hovering  far  above,  than  of 
the  sharks  whose  fins  were  cutting  the  water 
below.  Onee  under  way  we  arose  steadily, 
surelv  and  safely,  and  with  all  the  propellers 
driving  furiously  at  command.  \Ye  cheeked 
our  course,  I  judged,  about  a  mile  above  the 
ocean.  Then  came  the  problem,  the  first  i;Teat 
test,  as  to  how  practically  dirigible  we  were 
under  such  conditions.  We  had  an  amazing 
amount  of  doubt  about  ourselves,  and  our 
feelings  of  uncertainty  were  subsequently 
justified,  but,  fortunately  for  civilization,  not 
at  that  moment.  We  rose  after  dipping  once 
or  twice,  and  somehow  llmindered — though 
lloundered  doesn't  seem  a  s^ood  word  in  de 
scribing  the  way  of  t^ettin^"  alon^r  in  the  upper 
depths — on  to  the  eastward,  then  steered  to 
reach  a  position  over  the  enemy's  ships,  and 
faced  what  we  had  hoped  not  to  find — a  push- 
in  L;"  upper  wind  from  the  cast.  Could  we  over 
come  it?  \Ve  didn't  km>w.  and  upon  the  issue 
of  a  little  flight.  away  rp  in  the  sky,  between 
liquified  air,  adapted  to  a  use  bv  the  brain 
which  (iod  has  inven  man,  and  the  fierce  air 
currents  which  (iod  sends  around  the  world, 
depended  a  i^rcat  issue.  It  was  clear  it  was 


AI'PLETON    BECOMES    "PRACTICAL.- 215 

in  one  way  air  against  air,  but  the  fight  was 
unequal.  The  vast  ocean  of  air  remained  still 
barren  of  an  idea.  The  air  opposing  it  had 
been  impregnated  and  turned  into  a  force 
through  the  medium  of  man's  intelligence. 

Fluttering,  pushing,  almost  at  a  standstill, 
far  above  the  sea,  hung  the  Wild  Goose,  a  mile 
or  two  away  from  our  own  fleets  upon  the 
waters  and  seeking  to  attain  just  the  position 
we  wanted  above  the  Slavs  and  Latins.  It 
nosed  and  pushed  and  bustled,  while  we  did 
all  we  could  with  all  the  forces  at  hand,  but 
still  the  fierce  wind  from  the  cast,  fighting 
valorously  against  us  as  did  the  stars  against 
Sisera,  kept  us  high  in  the  air  between  heaven 
and  earth,  hanging,  to  quote  the  hack  simile, 
like  Mahomet's  coffin,  though  I  hope  that  in 
Mahomet's  coffin  has  never  been  used  such 
language  as  was  used  by  us — yet  we  kept 
fumbling  along  toward  the  place  we  sought. 

It  was  wonderful,  what  lay  beneath  us,  when 
we  had  dug  our  way  against  the  upper  wind 
to  a  standstill  above  the  fighting  fleets,  for  the 
battle  was  on.  Very  beautiful  was  the  scene. 
There  lay  upon  the  water  the  two  navies,  one 
to  the  east,  the  other  to  the  west,  rushing 
toward  each  other  and,  so  great  are  the  carry- 


216  ARMAGEDDON. 

iug  powers  of  modern  cannon,  belching  forth 
sliots  which  wrought  deadly  mischief  when  the 
ships  were  yet  miles  apart.  And  all  this  under 
a  summer  sky,  with  the  air  blowing  well,  too 
well  almost  for  us  in  its  upper  depths,  and  the 
sun  shining  brightly.  Tossing  and  glittering 
beneath  the  radiance  were  the  ships— but  what 
use  is  there  in  talking  about  it?  Overhead, 
far  overhead,  hung  the  Wild  Goose,  laden 
with  explosives  and  trying  to  reach  the  center 
of  operations.  Upon  the  sea  at  one  point  the 
Slav  and  Latin  watched  angrily  and  fought 
bravely  with  no  thought  of  surrender,  unmind 
ful  still  of  two  unknown  and  unsung  individ 
uals  who  were  about  to  drop  things  from 
above.  In  one  of  Macaulay's  poems  he  tells 
of  the  great  Twin  brethren  who  assisted  in 
some  fight  between  the  Romans  and  other 
Latins  of  the  outlying  provinces.  Pshaw! 
They  or  any  other  twin  brethren  were  but  as 
thistledown  compared  with  us  up  there  in  that 
throbbing  machine,  scared  but  hopeful. 

Suddenly  the  east  \vind  fell.  Maybe  a 
waterspout  had  sucked  something  down  or 
lifted  something  up  away  off  in  the  wide  ocean 
of  waters.  Somehow  the  wind  fell  and  the 
"Wild  Goose,  slowly  at  first,  crept  into  the  face 


APPLETON    BECOMES    "PRACTICAL."  217 

of  the  current  and  eventually  hung  almost 
stationary  over  the  opposing  fleet.  Then  be 
gan  the  trouble  between  Appleton  and  me, 
trouble  entirely  personal  and  meaning  nothing 
save  the  wrangling  between  two  fellows  who 
loved  each  other,  and  who  were  working  with 
every  force  of  mind  and  nervous  energy  to 
gether,  life  or  death  to  ourselves  being  entire 
ly  out  of  mind. 

It  had  been  arranged  that  Appleton,  know 
ing  how  to  handle  the  air-machine — he  was 
rather  vain  over  it,  I  say  it  now  again — rather 
vain — that  Appleton  should  hold  the  machine 
above  the  object  of  attack  and  that  I  should  be 
the  aerial  marksman  whose  business  it  would 
be  to  drop  things  accurately. 

Xow  that  we  found  ourselves  hanging  just 
where  we  wanted  to  be,  namely,  over  one  of 
the  enemy's  great  warships,  came  the  hurried 
debate,  a  debate  as  to  the  manner  in  which 
from  a  point  a  mile  high  in  the  air,  a  certain 
substance  called  dynamite  should  be  dropped 
most  accurately  upon  a  ship  floating  on  the 
water  directly  below. 

Fur  such  fame  arid  reputation  as  may  come 
to  a  man  who  has  devised  the  best  way  of 
dropping  dynamite,  and  steering  it  straight 


2l8  ARMAGK1  >!>(  >.V 

downward,  I  want,  at  this  point,  to  put  in  an 
earnest  claim.  Applcton  is  all  right  in  his  way. 
of  course;  he  invented  tlus  luting  tiling,  but  it 
was  I.  I  who  am  writing  this  story,  who  de 
vised  the  gun  \\hich  shot  with  no  nonsense 
about  trajectories,  and  the  gun  which  alwavs 
hits  its  mark  unless  tliere  was  some  fault  in 
the  human  aiming,  \\diile  \\  e  had  been  argu 
ing  I  had  been  aiming.  an<l  Appleton  had  been 
examining  with  his  glass  what  lay  directly  be 
neath  us  on  the  water.  lie  stopped  all  talk 
ing  bv  quictlv  saying  that  our  mark  was  the 
Russian  flagship,  the  Russian  Admiral  being 
evidently  in  supreme'  command  of  the  engage 
ment  then  going  on  between  the  lleets  of  the 
w<  >rld. 

"The  time  lias  come,"  said  Applcton. 

The  big  gun  of  this  warship  of  the  sky  was 
a  >imple  thing.  It  was  but  a  hole  in  the  bot 
tom  of  the  carrier,  a  sort  of  a  trap-door,  three 
feet  square,  which  turned  back  on  lunge-. 
And  we  had  a  sort  of  plummet  arrangement 
invented,  as  alreadv  intimated,  by  me,  in 
which  I  took  great  pride.  It  was  only  a 
slender  rod  of  lead,  with  rear  and  fore  sights 
upon  it,  and  it  located  a  point  below  to  a  nice 
ty.  \Ve  hung  thus,  far  above  the  Czar,  and 


APPLETON    BECOMES    "PRACTICAL."  219 

Appleton  managed  the  craft,  moving  here  and 
there  as  I  called  out  to  him.  Then,  finally,  I 
got  what  seemed  a  reasonably  good  aim  and 
dropped  one  of  the  great  charges  of  explosive. 

\Ye  watched  the  descent  of  the  mass  with  all 
anxiety  and  there  came  to  me,  a  little  later,  a 
sensation  of  astonishment  and  deep  disgust 
commingled.  For  what  I  saw  was  this:  The 
thing  rushed  downward  until  it  disappeared 
from  sight  and  then,  close  beside  the  Czar, 
rose  a  vast  mountain  of  snow!  I  knew  what 
had  occurred.  I  had  missed  the  ironclad,  but 
the  impact  upon  the  water  of  the  mass 
dropped  from  a  height  so  great  had  been  such 
that  the  dynamite  had  exploded  as  if  hurled 
downward  upon  a  field  of  iron.  The  moun 
tain  of  snow  was  but  the  water  of  the  Atlantic 
torn  into  a  feathery  mass  and  thrown  into  all 
directions.  For  a  minute  the  Czar  was  in 
visible.  Then  the  snow  mountain  disappeared 
and  the  ironclad  was  riding  the  ocean  still; 
but  tossing  as  if  upon  a  tidal  wave. 

I  was  enraged.  Something;  of  what  men 
have  called  the  lust  of  battle  seemed  to  come 
upon  me.  I  must  strike  the  Czar,  and  there 
were  not  too  many  packages  of  the  dynamite 


ARMAGKDIX  >N. 

remaining!  I  was  an^ry  with  Appleton.  un- 
reasi  >nal  >lv. 

"\\'hy  don't  you  stead}-  her?"  I  roared. 
"\\'hy  don't  you  show  that  you  can  manage 
your  own  craft?  You've  nothing"  to  hra^ 
about !" 

Appleton — not  blamable  at  all — was  hu 
miliated  deeply.  "I'll  try  to  do  better  next 
time."  he  said,  and  I  seixed  another  package 
of  dynamite,  adjusted  it,  .and  prepared  for 
another  cast.  The  slight  was  taken  a^'ain  and 
the  terrible  tiling  dropped. 

\\"hat  happened  then  changed  what  will  be 
the'  story  of  all  wars  of  the  future.  Yet  I  can 
tell  little  of  it.  There  was  the  mountain  of 
snow  a^'ain;  that  was  all.  P.ut  when  it  dis 
appeared  there  was  no  C'xar  riding  the  waters 
of  the  Atlantic  (  )cean. 

I  was  wild:  "Drive  her  ahead!"  1  shouted. 
"1  )rive  her  over  that  bi^  ship  to  the  left !"  and 
he  did  as  I  demanded.  A^ain  there  was  the 
steadvin^r  and  aiming.  a'4'ain  the  discharge  and 
a  repetition  of  the  awful  tragedy  below.  I 
was  mad  as  any  Hersekcr.  Applcton  turned 
to  me  exeitedly: 

"What  shall  we  do?  Look  out  for  our  flag 
ship  and  see  what  they  are  doini;  below  there!" 


APPLETON    BECOMES    "PRACTICAL."  221 

We  looked  through  our  glasses  and  saw 
what  made  our  hearts  heat  wildly  and  made 
us  shout  together.  Xo  longer  came  white 
puffs  of  smoke  from  any  of  the  army  of  iron 
monsters.  Instead  there  was  a  Mutter  of  white 
Hags  to  the  cast  and  a,  to  us,  soundless  con 
centration  of  the  navies  which  we  guessed 
meant  not  further  battle,  but  surrender,  sur 
render  partly,  it  may  be,  because  of  the  havoc 
wrought  by  the  Anglo-American  and  Japan 
ese  fleets  upon  the  enemy,  but  chiefly  because 
of  this  dreadful  creature  of  the  skies.  The  bat 
tle  upon  the  seas  was  ended.  Our  shot  had 
thrown  everything  into  confusion  by  demol 
ishing  the  enemy's  flagship,  to  say  nothing  of 
our  second  victim,  and  I  looked  across  the 
narrow7  space  into  Appleton's  face.  Its  ex 
pression  was  inscrutable.  I  inferred  that  he 
was  as  puzzled  regarding  my  own  look  for  he 
remarked,  apropos  of  nothing:  "\Yhat  is  the 
matter,  old  man?"  and  a  moment  later  ex 
claimed:  "We  must  get  down." 

We  had  accomplished  our  mission;  we  felt 
in  our  hearts  that  we  were  the  only  people  of 
prominence  existing,  and  the  next  thing  was 
to  get  back  to  glory  and  the  Alaska.  We 
prepared  to  descend  in  one  of  those  long 


222  ARMAGEDDON. 

graceful  sweeps,  l.nt  \\hen  we  started  to  de 
scend  the  long  graceful  sweep  somehow  dis 
appeared  from  the  practical  work  of  my  friend 
Appleton,  who,  I  still  insist,  is  a  good  engi 
neer.  Something  had  given  way  again  and 
this  time  seriously.  I  don't  know  what  the 
matter  was;  I  didn't  know  then,  but  it  was 
plain  that  we  were  in  desperate  straits.  I  only 
know  now  that  the  tiling  of  the  air,  the  terri 
ble  \\ild  (.loose,  did  not  come  down  in  any 
graceful  sweep  at  all:  I  know  that  the  men 
upon  it  felt  themselves  going  sudden! v  to 
their  doom  and  I  mean  a  doom  with  a  big  D. 
There  was  a  little  power  left  somewhere 
among  the  parts  of  the  machinery;  some  pro- 
pellor  was  still  whirling  in  a  vague  and  kindly 
helping  but  weak  way,  and  I.  wondering  what 
Appleton  was  thinking  about,  was  painfully 
aware  that  we  were  slipping  down  the  air 
bank  into  the  Atlantic  (  )cean.  Personally 
1  felt,  considering  the  slant  we  had,  that  the 
Wild  ("loose  would,  before  it  stopped,  burrow 
its  nose  in  among  some  mermaids  with  sea 
(lowers  in  their  hair,  ami  then  dive  deeper  and 
lie  still  in  the  mush  of  rotting  galleons  lost 
centuries  ago.  Something  gave  way  again, 
and  we  slanted  less  and  fmallv  shot  down  into 


AFI'LETON    BECOMES    "PRACTICAL."  223 

the  sea  with  a  vigor  which  was  wonderful. 
The  details  of  this  disaster  are  scant  in  my 
mind.  I  remember  that  an  admirable  thing 
devised  and  managed,  up  to  a  certain  point, 
by  two  good  Americans  dived  and  that  one 
Mr.  Appleton  and  I  leaped  away  as  the  thing 
pierced  the  ocean;  and,  our  eccentricity  and 
uncertainty  having  been  observed  from  the 
Alaska  and  not  only  observed  but  construed 
correctly  as  to  what  it  meant,  that  almost  as 
soon  as  we  had  leaped  and  gone  under  and 
then  come  gasping  to  the  surface  a  boat 
reached  us  and  we  were  taken  aboard  and 
hurried  to  the  warship.  I  remember  that  our 
clothes  fitted  us  with  too  exceeding  closeness 
and  that,  helpless  and  wet,  with  these  clinging 
garments  upon  us,  with  our  hair  hanging  lank 
and  flat  beside  our  faces,  and  with  our  two 
selves  badly  scared  and  out  of  breath  and 
wondering  what  we  had  done,  and  the  Wild 
Goose  resting  on  the  ocean's  floor — I  remem 
ber  that  as  we  came  up,  still  dripping,  from  the 
boat  to  the  deck,  there  wasn't  any  discipline 
upon  the  ship  of  war  Alaska,  that  is,  for  the 
moment.  I  think  the  officers  were  even  worse 
than  the  men.  They  came  tumbling  toward 
us  in  a  lump  and  the  language  they  used — 


22  \  ARM  AC.  KD  DON. 

well,  it  was  such  as  fellov.  s  use  to  other  fel- 
lo\vs  \vho  arc  thought  to  have  done  a  good 
thing. 

I  \vas  surprised  at  Appleton.  \Ye  had  lost 
the  \Yild  (loose.  \Ye  were  half  drowned,  shat 
tered  in  nerve,  and  did  not,  even  now,  know 
\vhat  had  really  happened  on  the  waters  about 
us.  and  yet  that  arrogant  inventor  put  on  as 
many  airs,  as  he  clambered  over  the'  rail  and 
braced  himself  opposite  me  on  the  deck,  as  it 
he  were  the  admiral  of  all  the  licet.  As  for 
me.  1  will  say  that,  imitating,  as  a  good  sub 
ordinate  >hould,  the  manner  of  my  superior. 
I  assumed  at  once,  though  wet  and  cold  and 
shaken,  a  proud  and  haughty  air,  somewhat 
marred  by  my  inclination  to  laugh  when  1  saw 
OT.rien  among  the  throng  pressing  toward 
us  and  giving  vent  to  the  shri'.i  whoop  of 
South  Ilalsted  Street.  However,  we  did  very 
well,  and  Appleton  certainly  maintained  the 
manner  of  one  of  those  gentlemen  to  whom 
the  Romans  were  accustomed  to  give  a  tri 
umph,  and  who  rode  down  the  Roman  streets 
with  leaves  about  his  head,  and  a  lot  of  prison 
ers  and  plunder  tailing  after  him. 

I  was  taken  to  my  cabin  and  got  into  clean 
clothes,  as  did  Appleton,  and  later  I  met  the 


APPLETON    BECOMES    "PRACTICAL."  225 

officers  of  the  Alaska.  I  was  affable,  simply 
affable,  that  was  all  there  was  to  it.  I  ought 
to  have  been  kicked  from  one  end  of  that 
battle-stained  ship  to  the  other  because  of  my 
patronizing  demeanor.  Appleton  was  too 
earnest  to  be  foolish,  but  the  calm  and  lordly 
manner  in  which  I  talked  with  those  officers, 
commenting  upon  the  weather  or  whether 
they  thought  Smith's  latest  book  better  than 
that  of  Jones,  or  what  they  guessed  would  be 
the  result  of  the  coming  election  in  the  Four 
teenth  Congressional  District  of  Iowa — the 
manner  in  which  I  did  that  I  shall  always  think 
was  fine.  There  wasn't  an  officer  on  board  the 
Alaska  who  had  not  an  earnest  and  whole 
some  desire  to  get  me  out  somewhere  and  lick 
me,  and  there  wasn't  an  officer  on  board  the 
Alaska  who  wasn't  justified  in  this  impulse 
because  of  the  quiet,  but  almost  dcmigodly 
way  I  had  assumed.  I  have  been  informed 
since,  confidentially,  by  certain  officers  of  the 
ship,  that  I  escaped  by  only  a  hair's  breadth, 
and  I  have  been  equally  confidential  in  telling 
them  that,  even  in  my  own  opinio-n,  the  slay 
ing  would  have  been  justifiable. 

Meanwhile  Appleton  and  the  captain  were 
conferring  in  the  cabin,  and  there  was  much 


226  ARMAGEDDON. 

si^'nalini;'  between  the  admirals  of  the  fleets. 
An  hour  later  a  boat  was  lowered  and  Apple- 
ton  and  the  captain  of  the  Alaska  went  away 
to  a  conference  of  commanders  on  board  the 
American  ila^'ship. 

I  thought  of  Helen   Da^^art,  as  I  looked 
after  Appleton.     "lie  has  become  'practical,'  ' 
1    said,   under  my  breath,   addressing  myself, 
for  want  of  a  better  listener. 


AFTER  THE  BATTLE.  227 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

AFTER  THE   BATTLE. 

Before  morning  Appleton  and  I  had 
learned,  and  taken  to  heart,  what  had  hap 
pened  on  the  water  while  we  were  hovering 
above  the  fighting  fleets. 

We  missed  some  faces  from  among  our 
naval  comrades  and  associates.  A  shell  had 
struck  the  Alaska,  killing  and  wounding  offi 
cers  and  men,  and  there  was  a  great  hole 
where  the  missile  had  torn  its  way  through 
wood  and  iron.  There  were  wounded  men 
below  and  dead  to  be  buried  in  the  sea. 

As  we  slowly  regained  a  normal  condition 
of  mind,  we  realized  that  in  our  shaking, 
quivering  sky  machine  we  had  simply  given 
the  last  stroke  to  a  series  of  blows  by  which 
the  enemy  had  been  disastrously  and  com 
pletely  defeated  and  about  reduced  to  uncon 
ditional  surrender.  When  our  shot  dropped 
from  above,  sinking  their  flagship,  their  losses 
had  already  been  appalling,  and  our  second 
charge  had  sunk  the  finest  Italian  ship  afloat. 


228  ARMAGKDDOX. 

The  great  guns  and  dynamite  tubes  of  the 
Americans  and  English  had  already  sunk 
man\-  a  gallant  cruiser  and  battleship.  Others 
had  limped  away  to  the  rear  of  their  lines,  dis 
abled  or  sinking.  Thousands  of  lives  had  been 
yielded  up  there  that  day  on  both  sides — 
brave  men's  lives,  all.  The  Russian  Admiral 
had  been,  as  we  had  surmised,  in  supreme 
command,  and  our  play  in  the  game  came  just 
in  time,  not  only  sinking  the  flagship,  but  in 
terfering  witli  the  rally  of  its  forces.  There 
must  have  been  a  panic  among  the  French, 
Italians  and  Russians,  Austrians  and  all  in  the 
great  fleet.  Anyway,  they  struck  their  flags 
and  flew  the  emblem  of  submission,  and  so 
the  end  came,  and  the  details,  to  the  last  item, 
all  the  world  knows. 

Our  eyes  opened  wide  as  we  heard  for  the 
first  time  the  now  oft  repeated  story  of  the 
fight.  Especially  were  we  delighted  over  the 
pluck  of  the  Japanese.  Their  bold  return  of 
the  fire  of  the  enemy,  when  they  were  sudden 
ly  attacked  on  their  way  to  meet  us,  tickled 
our  whole  fleet.  Anyone  else  would  have 
run  away,  but  not  the  Japs.  That  they  simply 
turned  and  fought  until  we  came  up  with  them 


AFTER  THE  BATTLE.  229 

was  something  which  endeared  them  at  once 
and  forever  to  the  Anglo-American  navy. 

We  were  told,  too,  that  there  was  good 
prospect  for  a  struggle  to  come  as  nothing 
had  been  seen  of  the  formidable  German 
fleet,  the  one  from  which  the  most  of  a  fight 
was  expected,  and  the  admiral  of  which,  we 
had  believed,  would  command  the  enemy.  It 
is  a  matter  of  history  now,  how  the  German 
Admiral  did  not  arrive  in  time,  and  how  he  was 
forestalled  by  the  Russians  and  French, 
backed  up  by  their  allies.  We  were,  of  course, 
ignorant  of  the  real  situation  but  we  expected 
battle  with  the  Germans  at  once,  and  every 
effort  was  put  forth  by  our  forces  to  give  the 
German  Admiral  a  reception  fitting  such  a  dis 
tinguished  and  self-satisfied  commander. 

\Ye  had,  now,  a  new  impression  of  our  com 
bined  navies,  and  the  enemies'  fleets.  While 
we  had  been  wavering  up  and  slanting  down, 
and  struggling  for  our  lives  on  the  Wild 
Goose,  we  had  caught  views  which  remained, 
instantaneous  pictures,  imprinted  on  the  mind 
forever.  It  was  like  a  great  city  upon  the 
water,  stretching  away  for  miles,  that  gigantic 
collection  of  ships.  The  English  navy  alone 
was  so  immense  simply  measured  by  the  space 


230  ARMAGKDDON. 

it  covered,  as  to  bewilder  us.  The  American 
licet  showed  strong  and  great  \\hen  alone  on 
the  seas,  and  was  an  impressive  sight,  but  be 
side  the  tremendous  gathering  of  ('/reat  I>rit- 
ain's  sea  forces,  it  looked  small.  In  mere  num 
bers  the  Anglo-American  licet  had  been  over 
powering  before  the  fight,  and  now,  when  so 
many  of  the  enemies'  ships  had  been  added 
by  conquest,  the  Armada  was  such  as  the 
world  had  never  seen  before,  nor  even  dreamed 
of. 

When  darkness  fell  over  the  waters  on  the 
night  after  the  battle  the  Alaska  was  one  of 
this  immense  coinpanv  of  great  iron  sea  mon 
sters  on  which  there  was  little  rest.  During 
the  night,  our  wounded  having  been  trans 
ferred  to  the  hospital  -Oiip  and  our  dead  hav 
ing  been  given  a  sailor's  burial,  we  got  under 
way  and  when  morning  broke  our  ship  was 
one  of  a  long  line,  far  out  cm  the  seas,  making 
a  wide  detour  to  assist  in  closing  in  on  the 
( iermans.  We  saw  nothing  of  the  actual 
operations  by  which  the  great  ( ierman  licet 
was  brought  to  terms.  We  were  too  far  on 
the  outer  rim  of  the  victorious  lines.  It  was 
a  foregone  conclusion,  however.  Nothing 
could  withstand  the  forces  gathered  under  the 


AFTER   THE   BATTLE.  231 

Anglo-American  and  Japanese  banners  there 
in  the  East  Atlantic.  We  were  so  sure  of  the 
result  that  it  was  not  even  a  matter  of  discus 
sion,  and  no  one  was  surprised  when,  early  on 
the  following  morning,  the  German  surrender 
was  announced. 

\Yc  imagined,  even  then,  the  rage  of  the 
German  Emperor,  over  the  jealous  haste  of 
his  allies,  and  the  balking  of  his  plans.  I  have 
often  thought  since  that  it  was  all  as  if  well 
planned  for  the  ultimate  unity  and  glory  of 
our  race.  The  Germans  accepted  the  situa 
tion  with  commendable  perspicacity  and  self- 
control.  The  event  of  that  day  taught  a  last 
ing  lesson.  Germany  began  to  see  where  her 
true  interest  lay  and  where  was  her  place  in 
the  affairs  of  mankind  according  to  her  ethical 
relations  and  her  traditions.  The  first  steps 
she  took  toward  Anglo-Saxon  solidarity  were 
through  the  bitter  ashes  of  defeat,  but  they  led 
toward  the  paths  of  wisdom  and  the  calm 
heights  of  peace  at  last. 

It  is  strange  how  little  one  may  know  of 
great  events  when  they  are  passing  near,  even 
tinder  one's  eyes.  Much  of  what  we  saw  on 
those  last  days  in  European  waters  we  had  to 
interpret  by  the  light  of  future  developments. 


2  $2  ARMAGEDDON. 

The  days  passed,  and  \ve  led  the  lazy  life  of 
the  homeward  hound.  A  \var>hip  after  a  hat- 
tie,  especially  after  war  discipline  is  relaxed, 
teems  with  talk  and  story  and  gossip  as  fairly 
as  does  a  clnh.  Kveryone  has  something  to 
tell  and  everyone  has  time  to  listen. 

Our  officers  had  many  a  eonfah  of  starrv 
nights  and  on  lone;,  uneventful  (lavs,  and  Ap~ 
pleton  was  hy  far  the  most  thoughtful  man 
on  hoard  the  Alaska,  lie  hore  his  hon<>r> 
with  manly  modest}';  wa<  frank  and  open  in 
explanations  of  his  views  as  to  the  outcome 
of  mechanical  devices  in  war  hut  never  gave 
an  inkling  of  the  secret  of  the  Wild  Goose. 
That  remains  his  own,  shared  alone  with  me. 
to  this  day. 

We  were  often  questioned  concerning  the 
details  of  the  light  as  we  saw  it.  Of  course 
no  one  ever  before  had  such  a  chance  for  a 
birdseyc  view  of  a  battle,  and  equally,  of 
course,  no  one  who  had  such  a  point  of  view 
could  ever,  tinder  such  circumstances,  have 
seen  anything  definitely.  We  had  seen  some 
thing,  though,  and  knew  what  we  were  talk 
ing  about,  and  when  we  said  that  what  we  saw 
was  groups  of  dark  spots  lying  on  the  water 
beneath  us,  and  told  how  like  tov  Xoah's  arks 


AFTER  THE  BATTLE.  233 

the  great  ships  looked  when  we  were  so  far 
above  the  water,  there  was  a  general  laugh 
of  incredulity.  It  seemed  too  much  to  believe, 
just  the  plain  truth. 

One  day  when  we  were  spinning  yarns  on 
deck  Appleton  asked  junior  lieutenant,  Gar- 
rity:  ''What  was  that  chase  we  saw  the  be 
ginning  of,  toward  the  end  of  the  fight  the 
other  day?" 

"Yes,"  I  chimed  in,  "I  have  thought  of  that 
a  dozen  times!  What  yacht  was  that  skipping 
away,  with  a  fast  cruiser  after  it?  No  one 
seemed  to  pay  any  attention  to  the  chase— 
we  ourselves  didn't,  after  the  first  moment. 
\Ye  had  other  matters  to  attend  to." 

"So  did  we,"  said  Garrity,  "but  that  yacht 
you  saw  running  away  was  'The  Gauntlet'  or 
the  'Gore-Gulper,'  as  some  prefer  to  call  the 
craft." 

"Oh!''  said  Appleton,  a  great  light  breaking 
in  on  him,  and  "Oh!"  said  I,  and  we  all 
laughed  together. 

The  yacht  Gauntlet  had  been  chartered  by 
a  syndicate  of  two  or  three  sensational  news 
papers  of  the  class  run  shrewdly  to  skim  the 
cream  from  the  sea  we  call  the  masses,  news 
papers  necessarily  on  the  frothy  and  generally 


234  ARMAGEDDON. 

wrong  side,  but  with  plenty  of  money  and 
energy.  The  Gauntlet  was  \vcll  equipped. 
The  "Commissioner,"  as  they  called  the  news 
paper  man  in  charge  of  the  boat,  and  the 
group  of  reporters  who  accompanied  him 
had  done  some  exceedingly  clever  work  in  the 
literary  world  and  was  a  right  good  fellow. 
Through  the  pages  of  his  books  and.  maga 
zine  stories  he  had  posed  somewhat  as  a  man 
of  blood  and  iron  and  his  hat  had  become  a 
trifle  tight.  Tie  was  most  blood  thirst}'  in  his 
newspaper  dispatches  now.  and  so  it  came 
that  throughout  the  fleet  the  name  Gauntlet 
had  been  dropped  and  the  vacht  was  gener 
ally  alluded  to  as  the  "Gore-Gulper."  She 
was  certainly  a  fast  yacht  and  whatever  may 
have  been  the  seamanlike  or  unseamanlike 
qualities  of  the  popular  writer,  the  hired  cap 
tain  and  crew  were  sea-dogs  equal  to  an  emer 
gency  and  the  yacht  was  as  staunch  as  she 
was  fast.  The  commander-in-chief  or  "Com 
missioner"  of  the  Gauntlet  had  looked  upon 
the  Wild  Goose  and  upon  Appleton  and  me 
with  contempt  from  the  beginning.  The  fact 
of  our  proence  upon  one  of  the  warships  had 
been  barely  mentioned,  with  some  supercil 
ious  comment,  in  one  of  his  dispatches,  and  it 


AFTER  THE   BATTLE.  2 

may  be  that  there  is  a  shadow  of  prejudice 
what  1  say.     I  think  not,  though. 

Then  Garrity  told  us  the  story  of  the  begin 
ning  of  the  wild  flight  of  the  Gauntlet — a 
story,  as  has  since  appeared,  without  an  end 
ing.  As  Garrity  went  along  with  it  we  were 
able  to  supplement  the  tale,  from  our  brief 
observations,  at  least  so  far  as  the  beginning 

o  o 

of  the  race  was  concerned. 

Hovering  about  the  fleet  during  the  pro 
gress  of  the  light  and  keeping,  with  much  dis 
cretion  and  good  sense  out  of  the  varying  lines 
of  fire,  the  Gauntlet  seemed  to  be  getting  most 
valuable  information  of  the  sort  to  enable  a 
grand  description  of  a  grand  sea  fight.  This 
was  her  enviable  condition  up  to  a  certain 
time.  Then  suddenly  out  from  the  mass  of 
warships  to  the  far  left  darted  a  small  cruiser 
which  evidently  regarded  the  Gauntlet  as  its 
particular  prey.  Of  course  it  was  infamous 
and  a  shame  that  a  fast  yacht  carrying  gentle 
men  of  large  brains,  whose  mission  it  was  to 
tell  such  a  story  of  a  sea  fight  as  had  never 
been  written  on  sea  or  land  before,  should  be 
chased  by  a  beastly  warship  with  guns  poking 
out  threateningly.  However,  let  it  be  said 
of  the  great  representatives  of  unreliable 


journalism  that  not  for  an  instant  did  thev 
lose  their  seli"-])os>es>ion.  The  (lar.ntlet  turned 
and  fled,  fled  fast  and  far,  and  the  fast  cruiser 
followed.  The  name  of  this  cruiser,  a  Span 
iard.  Garrity  declared,  was  the  Polo  y  P>arnebe 
J  )oin  el  Santa  Kosabelle. 

Away  they  went,  straight  for  the  northeast, 
far,  far  from  scenes  of  battle  and  disaster. 
From  our  vast  height  in  the  \Yild  Goose  we 
could  note  them  \\ell.  The  Gauntlet  fairly 
(lev/,  but  then  so  did  the  Santa  I\o.-abelle  and 
the  distance  between  them  seemed  to  neither 
increase  nor  decrease  until  the}'  slipped  from 
sight. 

AS  a  matter  of  fact,  both  vessels  were  picked 
up  by  a  vagrant  American  cruiser  a  week 
later,  the  Kosabelle  still  in  pursuit  of  the 
Gauntlet,  while  sloshing  about  in  the  Hay  of 
Fundy:  but  this  story  is  not  accepted  by  a 
large  proportion  of  the  seafaring  world. 

As  time  passed,  long  after  our  voyage  was 
ended,  strange  talcs  came  filtering  up  from 
seaport  towns  of  what  had  been  seen  by 
veracious  sailor  men  in  various  portions  of  the 
seven  seas.  They  all  tended  to  one  end;  that 
somewhere  there  was  dread  flight  and  fierce 
pursuit  by  two  modern  craft  of  modern  sixe. 


AFTER  THE   BATTLE.  237 

From  all  kinds  of  reliable  seamen  of  all  nation 
alities  the  stories  came  and  from  various  seas 
and  ports.  The  crew  of  some  sardine  fishing 
boat  of  the  Mediterranean  would  sec  passing 
them  in  the  night,  first  a  craft  resembling  the 
Gauntlet  and  next  the  one  recognized  as  the 
Santa  Rosabelle.  Then  the  honest  French  fish 
ermen  would  cross  themselves  and  wonder 
what  it  meant,  and  tell  the  story  in  Lyons  and 
Marseilles.  Next  some  Norwegian  captain 
would  report  that,  off  Iceland,  just  in  the  trail 
of  the  black  water  across  which  danced  to  first 
discovery  of  America  Red  Eric  and  his  cock 
leshells,  beneath  the  shadow  over  the  sea  from 
hills  where  the  Norns  sit  knitting  things — he 
had  seen,  slipping  along,  the  Gauntlet  with 
the  Santa  Rosabelle  just  out  of  range  behind. 
Again  some  desperate  adventurer,  seeking  the 
South  Pole,  would  report  that  in  latitude 
mighty  near  the  end,  and  in  longitude  almost 
nothing,  across  a  great  open  sea  which  he 
couldn't  reach  because  his  ship  was  locked  in 
and  his  sledge  dogs  dead  and  his  crew  down 
with  scurvy,  he  saw,  through  the  frosty  mist, 
what  seemed  to  be  a  flight  and  a  pursuit,  and 
he  described  the  vessels  and  what  excellent 


238  ARMAGKDDON. 

time  they  were  making  in  the  distant  open 
water  \vhilc  the  sea  lions  yelped. 

Then  from  la/y  latitudes,  where  the  women 
don't  wear  much  and  the  men  wear  less,  where 
the  beachcomber  has  a  family  of  forty  and 
makes  his  grandchildren  do  all  the  work,  there 
would  come,  and  still  come,  tales  of  this  ever 
lasting  chase,  with  the  Santa  Rosabella  ever 
on  the  Gauntlet's  water  trail.  Or,  it  may  be, 
that  some  tramp  steamer,  skirting  the  Sargos- 
sa  Sea  in  some  trade  adventure,  reports  that, 
away  off  among  the  weeds  of  the  waveless 
ocean,  its  lookout  discovered  a  pair  of  craft, 
one  evidently  in  pursuit  of  the  other,  which 
cut  through  the  mass  of  vegetation  as  though 
it  were  but  skim  milk,  and  so  passed  out  of 
view. 

1  dun't  know  what  to  think  of  the  story  my 
self.  I'm  becoming  impressed.  I'm  getting  in 
clined  to  have  an  interest  in  it  and  am  making 
no  absolute  assertions.  All  I  know  about  the 
chase  is  that  I  saw  the  start. 

Other  incidents  as  grotesque,  among  the 
manv  tragical,  were  told  of  the  great  sea  fray, 
and  there  was  much  overflow  of  spirits  among 
the  conquerors  homeward  bound.  So  must 
have  been  ruggedly  joyous  the  Greeks  sailing 


AFTER  THE  BATTLE.  239 

back  from  Salamis,  the  men  of  Drake  turning 
reluctantly  from  the  flanks  of  the  storm-driven 
Armada,  or  those  sailing  homeward  from  Tra 
falgar.  And,  looking  at  the  sun-browned 
sailors  I  thought  of  how  they  would  "make 
Rome  howl"  as  did  the  sailors  fresh  from  Ac- 
tium,  only  it  would  not  be  Rome  literally 
where  would  occur  the  blithesome  "howling" 
this  time,  but  Liverpool  and  London,  and 
New  York  and  Chicago,  and  Tokio  and  Yo- 
kohoma  and  a  thousand  other  cities,  coast  and 
inland.  It  was  a  buoyant  company  on  every 
ship,  but  there  was  thought  among  the  offi 
cers.  Did  they  foresee  the  time  when,  possi 
bly,  their  occupation  would  be  gone? 


240  ARMAGEDDON. 


CHAPTER   XX. 
THE   ANGLO-SAXON    UNION. 

The  world  was  in  perplexity.  The  war  had 
practically  ended  and  the  Anglo-Saxon  was 
now  dominating  the  world.  All  was  hesi 
tancy  and  apprehension  and  the  greater  minds 
of  all  the  nations  civilized  were  active  to  seize 
or  save.  Unt  there  came  no  grasping  in  the 
mediaeval  way;  broader  thoughts,  Christian 
thoughts,  greater  comprehension  in  the  mind 
of  the  human  being,  all  tended  toward  the 
making  of  what  was  best.  There  was  no 
startling  new  alignment  of  the  boundaries  be 
tween  countries.  The  map-maker,  in  chang 
ing  his  maps,  had  only  to  put  a  dot  here  and 
there  upon  his  islands  of  the  seas  and  upon  his 
continents — dots  insignificant,  but  represent 
ing  so  many  Cibraltars,  and  indicating  the  im 
mediate  coming  government  of  the  globe. 
This  was  done  swiftly,  though  only  after  a 
hurriedly  convened  and,  in  one  sense,  forced 
Congress  of  the  great  powers. 

Never  were  negotiations  more  pregnant  for 


THE   ANGLO-SAXON   UNION.  241 

the  future;  never  came  together  statesmen 
more  keen  of  edge  and  arrogant  or  hopeful, 
as  the  case  might  be;  never  before  had  the 
assembled  politicians  or  the  men  of  war  who 
were  representatives,  faced  a  problem  the 
equations  of  which  were  so  indefinite.  That 
the  Anglo-American  alliance  would  now  be 
extended  to  become  comprehensively  Anglo- 
Saxon  was  understood  by  all,  but  under  what 
conditions?  There  were  other  problems  to  be 
considered  as  well. 

The  Congress  met  in  Amsterdam.  Geneva 
was  first  suggested,  as  a  matter  of  habit,  but 
this  was  a  gathering  where  salt  sea  winds 
should  be  felt  and  an  atmosphere  of  intel 
lectual  freedom  and  practicality.  There  has 
been  a  flavor  of  freedom  and  practicality  in 
the  Low  Countries  since  long  before  Alva 
learned  how  keen  were  Dutch  blades  and  how 
deep  Dutch  water. 

The  deliberations  of  the  Congress  were 
earnest  and  long-continued.  There  were, 
speaking  broadly,  arrayed  on  one  side  Great 
Britain  and  her  dependencies,  the  United 
States,  Germany — allowed — Japan,  the  Neth 
erlands,  Norway  and  Sweden  and  Denmark. 

In  opposition  and  in  comparatively  submis- 
ic 


-'4-2  ARMAGEDDON. 

sive  opposition,  were  arrayed  France  and 
Spain  and  Portugal  and  Jtaly  and  Russia  and 
Austria,  and — at  heart — -most  of  the  republics 
of  South  America.  Racial  and  religious  in 
stincts  had  full  sway  in  the  convention.  It  is 
hut  justice  to  say  that  the  lately  successful  in 
war  were  more  than  indulgent  in  the  quality 
of  demands  made,  much  discussed  and  ulti 
mately  enforced  in  the  convention. 

The  conquerors  said,  "\Ye  are  the  conquer 
ors.  Rightly  or  wrongly,  we  consider  our 
selves  the  approved  of  Providence  in  directing 
most  of  the  affairs  of  the  world,  and  we  pro 
pose,  for  the  present,  to  direct  them.  We  do 
not  intend,  to  take  your  territory,  hut  we  do 
intend  to  establish  our  authority  as  para 
mount,  and  centuiics  may  pass  before  you 
a^rain  acquire  the  position  you  lately  held  rela 
tively,  even  if  you  develop  a  ditYerent  growth. 
We  believe  that  we  are  the  people  most 
adapted  for  the  population  of  new  lands  and 
propose  to  act  in  accordance  with  this  idea. 
We  hold,  for  instance,  that  the  development  of 
Africa, the  new  continent,  to  be  civili/ed  is  best 
in  our  hands,  and  \ve  piefer  that  as  it  is  i^radu- 
.•'.lly  populated  in  its  richer  portions  by  the 
huropean  overflow,  that  overflow  shall  not  be 


THE   ANGLO-SAXON   UNION.  243 

Latin.  The  French,  Spanish  and  Portuguese 
occupancy  of  that  continent  must  cease  with 
the  signing  of  this  contract.  We  have  fancies 
about  the  idea  of  a  railroad  which  shall  run 
from  Alexandria  to  Cape  Town.  The  adminis 
tration  of  the  long  neglected  continent  has 
passed  from  your  hands  entirely  as  one  of  the 
results  of  the  late  encounter.  This  is  under 
stood  between  the  Americans  and  Britons, 
and  the  details  arc  left  to  Great  Britain  and  her 
European  colleagues  in  the  Congress.  As  to 
other  fields,  America,  with  her  millions  and 
millions  of  unoccupied  square  miles,  demands 
at  this  time  no  land  which  she  has  not  already 
taken.  She  has  territory  enough,  a  roadway 
around  the  world,  and  offers  a  home  and  more 
to  all  of  her  kind  who  may  come.  No  longer, 
though,  will  she  allow  the  addition  to  her  pop 
ulation  of  ignorant,  helpless  millions,  hope 
lessly  pauperized,  alien  in  race,  language  and 
affiliations.  There  is  room  for  the  Hun  and 
Latin  steerage  loads  in  South  America,  where 
there  is  a  continent  not  yet  half  conquered 
from  nature,  and  where  the  immigrants  may 
become  pioneers  and  men  instead  of  parasites 
and  dependents.  The  immigration  laws  of  the 
United  States  will  henceforth  be  distinctly  -par- 


244  ARMAGEDDON. 

tial.  There  will  be  an  exercise  of  the  law  of 
might,  but,  none  the  less,  will  it  be  one  of  self- 
preservation. 

To  the  Russian  representative,  to  the  Slav, 
baftled  again  as  has  happened  to  him  so  often 
within  the  later  centuries,  a  tone  was  adopted 
even  more  distinct :  "You  may  be  the  coming- 
force  in  the  history  of  the  world."  it  was  said, 
"but  your  time  has  not  yet  come.  We  propose 
to  hold  the  Bosphorus,  propose  to  say  what 
ships  you  may  for  the  next  ten  years  build  in 
the  lllack  Sea  or  at  any  of  your  lately  gained 
Asiatic  ports.  You  must  wait." 

There  was  protest,  but  it  was  vain,  for  what 
argument  could  be  made  by  a  group  with  no 
efficient  navies  behind  it  to  a  group  controll 
ing  the  warships  of  the  world?  There  was  lit 
tle  disappointment,  though,  for  the  terms  were 
better  than  the  defeated  nations  had  reason  to 
expect.  They  congratulated  themselves  that 
there  was.  at  most,  slight  dismemberment  of 
territory.  What  did  the  new  possessions 
matter?  Only  the  Russian  chafed. 

(iermany  was  the  nation  which  had  most 
cause  for  satisfaction.  Never  before  in  history 
had  racial  recognition  stood  a  people  in  such 
stead.  There  was  little  of  the  military  swag- 


THE   ANGLO-SAXON    UNION.  245 

ger  about  the  German  representative  who 
came  to  take  what  he  could  get,  and  take  it 
gladly,  a  new  attitude,  it  was  remarked,  in  the 
conduct  of  recent  German  affairs.  Hard 
would  it  have  been — and  even  the  "War  Lord" 
recognized  it  now — had  Germany  been  left  to 
her  fate,  to  be  crushed  gradually  between  the 
Slav  and  Latin  on  either  side  of  her.  But  she 
was  given  a  place  among  the  Anglo-Saxons. 
The  prodigal  was  admitted  to  the  house,  but 
the  fatted  calf  was  as  well  as  ever  the  next 
morning.  Even  thus,  it  was  well  for  the  Ger 
man.  It  seemed  as  if  the  old  gods  Thor  and 
Woden,  who  had  their  birth  where  groups  of 
skin-clad  men,  awaiting  Caesar,  talked  to 
gether  in  the  glades  of  green  German  forests, 
had  arisen  to  direct  the  affairs  of  Germany  and 
force  her  into  her  rightful  place  among  the 
nations. 

But  in  the  debates  of  the  Congress,  when 
shrewd  and  patriotic  men  representing  the 
vanquished  were  striving  eloquently  for  better 
terms,  came  to  the  surface  speculations  which 
were  more  than  interesting.  "Can  you  hold 
what  you  have  won?"  passionately  declaimed 
the  representative  of  France.  "Did  your  vie- 


246  ARM. \GKDDON. 

tory  really  come  upon  the  water,  or  from  the 
sky?  And  who  can  monopolize  the  skies!" 

All  recognized,  at  heart,  that  his  point  was 
well  taken.  The  statesmen  and  thinkers  of  the 
world  were  puzzling  over  the  problem  of 
whether  or  not  human  intelligence  had  newly 
deviled  such  means  for  utilizing  existent 
forces  that  former  methods  of  warfare  must 
be  soon  abandoned.  In  such  event  all  the 
navies  of  the  world  were  but  costly  things  to 
be  done  away  with;  all  the  fortresses  in  the 
world  were  but  as  the  mud  pies  built  by 
children,  and  throughout  the  civilized  world 
the  greatest  scientists  and  inventors  were  at 
work  to  determine  whether  or  not  what  Ap- 
pleton  had  accomplished  clumsily  could  be 
done  again  elsewhere  by  Frenchman  or  Rus 
sian  or  Italian  up  to  the  same  degree  of  ac 
complishment,  or  even  better.  Should  the  blue 
seas  in  all  the  future  be  traversed  only  bv  pas 
senger  and  merchant  craft?  Should  there  be 
no  strongholds  defending  the  great  cities  and 
the  great  military  highways  of  the  nations,  and 
which  nation  would  have  advantage  in  such 
case?  That  was  the  problem.  It  is  the  prob 
lem  yet,  though,  in  my  opinion,  nearly  solved. 

The  Congress  reached  peaceable  conclusion. 


THE  ANGLO-SAXON    UNION.  247 

It  had  no  alternative.  As  between  England 
and  the  United  States,  they  had  friendly  prob 
lems  of  their  own.  The  spirit  of  their  original 
alliance  was  maintained. 


248  ARM. \GKDDON. 


CHAPTER   XXI. 

Till-:    PRAIRIE    AGAIN. 

The  bees  were  humming.  I  but  know  of  it 
that  the  bees  \vcrc  humming  and  that  T  was 
wondering  vaguely  whether  they  liked  better 
the  red  or  tlie  white  clover.  There  I  sat  again 
in  an  easy  chair  upon  the  little  porch  of  the 
building  on  the  prairie  whence  went  the  Wild 
Goose  to  its  flight  above  the  blue  eastern 
Atlantic  and  to  its  rest  in  the  bottom  of  the 
ocean  there.  I  hope  it  rests,  as  it  deserves, 
upon  the  crumbling  battlements  of  some  for 
tress  of  the  lost  continent,  .Atlantis. 

That  day  I  was  thinking  of  little  save  that  I 
was  very  comfortable,  that  my  cigar  was  good, 
and  that  a  prominent  official  of  the  I  nited 
States  Signal  Service  was  at  work  inside  the 
old  shed  under  the  direction  of  a  man  named 
Applcton.  with  half  a  hundred  men  assisting 
him,  including  his  immediate  clerks,  draughts 
men,  and  general  helpers,  with  some  of  the 
cleverest  young  men  of  the  army  and  navy. 


THE   PRAIRIE   AGAIN.  249 

That  was  the  situation  inside,  and  I,  sorrow 
ing  for  Appleton,  was  loafing  outside.  I,  at 
least,  was  not  under  stress  of  labor  and  disci 
pline  to  the  extent  that  he  was,  though,  cor 
respondingly  and  properly,  I  was  not  the  re 
cipient  of  such  favors  as  came  to  him.  When 
the  United  States  government  ordered  the 
new  engine  of  destruction,  which  has  already 
been  named  'The  Valkyr,"  Appleton  had 
chosen  as  his  working  place  our  old  site  on  the 
prairie  west  of  Chicago,  and  there  the  officers 
and  men  of  the  signal  corps  and  the  expert 
civilians  engaged  on  the  work  were  busy. 

What  the  Valkyr  could  do  when  completed 
upon  the  lines  laid  out  was  now  a  matter  of 
confidence  to  all  of  us.  Appleton  himself  ad 
mitted,  grumblingly,  that  he  thought  it  was 
about  right.  Take  the  group  of  us  there  to 
gether  and  we  felt  and,  furthermore  we  knew, 
that  we  were  building  a  stanch  and  dirigible 
machine  which,  under  ordinary  circumstances, 
could  and  would  carry  up  into  the  air  a  great 
load  and  drop  portions  of  that  load  at  any 
time,  and,  we  felt  confident,  at  any  place,  so 
sure  were  we  of  the  means  of  steering  the 
queer  machine  satisfactorily.  We  were  the 


25°  ARMAGEDDON. 

mechanically  celestial,  and  felt  that  \ve  domi 
nated  or  soon  should  dominate  the  terrestrial. 
'I  hat  is  the  sort  of  people  we  were  in  the1 
building  on  the  prairie  1>eside  the  stream 
which,  in  midsummer,  when  it  isn't  too  ln\v, 
has  a  sort  of  "How  Gently  Sweet  Afton"  way 
to  it  until  it  gets  into  the  stream  which  seek- 
more  swiftly  and  less  qnietlv  the  way  to  the 
Mississippi,  though,  in  passing.  I  may  remark 
that  neither  stream  would  by  its  noise  awaken 
the  lightest  sleeper. 

What  had  happened  after  the  threat  battle 
and  the  general  adjudication  following  force 
of  arms?  Nothing.  The  nations  had  settled 
down,  as  farmers  do.  after  the  termination  of 
a  lawsuit  determining  boundary  lines.  There 
had  been  a  settlement  from  which,  for  long, 
there  could  be  no  appeal  and  now  the  object 
of  the  races  was  growth  in  numbers  and  in 
power.  There  had  come  one  of  the  breathing- 
places  in  history. 

As  for  me,  1  was  not  thinking  of  such 
things.  My  reflections,  when  they  wandered 
from  the  bees,  became  all  sordid:  "The 
mechanism  of  the  butt  of  a  great  gun  which 
cost  thousands  of  dollars  in  its  making,"  1 


THE    PRAIRIE   AGAIN.  251 

considered,  "will  soon  be  sold  for  only  four 
teen  dollars  and  eighty  cents,  as  old  iron. 
"\Yarships,  even  the  submarine  ones,  are  but 
old  iron."  Even  the  genius  of  men  of  thought 
and  energy  and  patriotism,  spent  in  devising 
ways  of  driving  ships  under  water  and  thus 
succeed  in  destroying  enemies  floating  upon 
the  water  had  been  largely  wasted.  Opposi 
tion  to  the  law  of  gravitation  rather  than  to 
that  of  flotation  had  won.  ""Warships,"  I  con 
sidered,  "will  be  quoted  on  the  market,  so 
many  thousand  dollars  a  warship,  possibly, 
but  doubtfully,  available  for  commercial  pur 
poses,  and  so  many  pounds  of  turrets  and  big 
rifled  guns  will  be  worth  so  much  in  any  mar 
ket  according  to  the  quality  of  the  iron  of 
which  they  were  constructed  and  of  the  sort 
of  demand  it  is  in  for  commercial  ends." 

And  I  was  earnest  in  my  thinking.  I  regret 
to  say  that  among  Appleton's  engineering 
friends  there  are  half  a  hundred  men  who  ex 
pect  to  make  fortunes  under  this  extraordi 
nary  condition  of  things.  I  regret  more  mildly 
to  say  that  I,  also  being  human,  seek  a  moder 
ate  fortune  myself.  I  have  mentally  specu 
lated  in  iron,  or  steel  which  has  been  tested 


and  tried  under  llie  keenest  supervision  of  the 
keenest  military  experts  of  all  the  world.  The 
price  of  iron  even  thus  developed  is  liable  to 
drop  under  the  panic  of  a  prospect  of  dyna 
mite  from  more  or  less  thousands  of  feet 
above.  And  so,  hein^~  human,  as  already  said, 
1  have  speculated  and  the  one  who  shall  be 
distantly  referred  to  later  in  this  chapter  shall 
have  clocks  on  her  silk  stockings. 

And  this  brings  me  back,  this  allusion  to 
"the  eternal  feminine,"  to  Applcton's  love 
story,  \\hich  had  been,  like  many  another  love 
storv.  interrupted  bv  war.  Appleton  was  now, 
on  this  da\'  when  I  sat  idling  on  our  crazy 
little  platform  of  a  piaz/a — the  new  buildings 
of  the  new  regime  ir.uch  interfering  with  my 
peaceful  landscape — the  husband  of  Helen, 
and  yon  may  be  sure  that  Helen  was  not  far 
distant.  She  was.  in  truth,  but  a  mile  or  two 
awav  across  the  river,  in  the  country  house 
\\herc  the  voting  people  were  spending  the 
summer,  and  I  knew  that,  before  sunset.  I 
should  sec  her  driving  jauntily  up  and  asking 


m<_^  but  assured  proprietorship  which  is  so  be 
comin     and  delicious  in  a  votin     wife. 


THE    PRAIRIE    AGAIN.  253 

Furthermore,  I  knew  that  another  woman, 
another  newly  made  wife,  she  whose  story  is 
mine — and  the  story  I  am  not  going"  to  tell — 
would  call  at  the  old  barrack  that  afternoon 
and  that,  before  we  parted  for  the  night,  we 
four  would  stroll  about  the  place,  deserted 
then  by  workmen  and  tenanted  only  by  its 
guards,  and  that  we  would  talk  and  laugh 
there  together  in  the  waning  day. 

Now  came  our  old  friend  Fitz  to  me  as  I 
sat  in  the  shade,  for  Fitz  had  shamelessly  de 
serted  Helen  for  his  former  master  when 
O'Brien  came  back  from  the  wars. 

"O'Brien,"  I  called,  for,  without  looking 
up,  1  knew  that  O'Brien  was  not  far  away, 
"Fitz  does  not  look  like  the  fighting  dog  you 
left  behind  you.  He's  been  fed  too  much.  I 
am  afraid  he's  spoiled." 

"Naw,  sir!"  emphatically  replied  O'Brien, 
"Youse  can't  spoil  a  bull-dog!  Fitz  ain't  quite 
himself,  but  he'll  be  all  right." 

Fitz  was  looking  interestedly  toward  the 
river,  and  as  we  had  become  great  friends,  the 
dog  and  I,  we  left  O'Brien  to  his  work  and 
went  away  together  to  look  for  muskrat  holes 
and  oversee  the  affairs  of  nature  generally. 


254  ARMAGF.nnON. 

"Fitz,"  said  I  to  my  companion,  as  \vc 
sauntered  along  over  the  scented  carpet  of  the 
prairie,  "it  is  my  belief  that  despite  my  many 
goodly  qualities,  I  am  esteemed  the  least  of  all 
the  beings  who  are  gathered  about  the  old 
building  here,  yourself  included.  It  is  only 
the  engineer  that  counts  just  now.  The  man 
\vlio  isn't  a  mechanical  genius,  Fitz,  is  no 
where.  He  but  cumbers  the  earth  It  is  true 
that  in  a  perfunctory  sort  of  a  way,  I  have 
quite  a  status  in  the  community.  Appleton 
and  his  wife  are  nfiable  with  me — even  my  own 
wife  goes  as  far  as  that  occasionally — but  then 
we  are  newlv  married — 

Fitz  growled  savagely,  and  darted  toward  a 
woodchuck  hole,  and  no  further  conversation 
was  possible  with  him  at  that  time. 

It  was  green  and  shady  under  the  oaks,  and 
I  lav  at  full  length  on  the  short  grass  and 
woodland  growth  of  tlowers  and  weeds  by  the 
river.  Turning  after  awhile  toward  a  mass  of 
hazel  brush  through  \\hich  the  swish  and 
rustic  told  some  one  was  coming,  I  saw,  rising 
above  the  louer  bushes,  a  round  red  face.  It 
looked  like  the  full  moon  of  harvest,  and  was 
as  promising  and  cheery.  At  my  call,  the  face 


THE    PRAIRIE    AGAIN.  255 

advanced  again  and  the  blue-cotton  clad  figure 
of  Old  Swanson's  daughter  emerged  from  the 
greenery.  She  came  along  cheerily,  the  fair 
Leda,  with  a  glance  of  recognition  at  the 
doubtful  Fitz,  and  I  rose  to  shake  her  work- 
hardened  hand. 

All  of  the  Swanson  sons  had  returned  from 
their  soldiering  save  one,  and  he  had  died  in 
camp,  where  the  great  armies  of  America  had 
awaited  the  signal  for  grim  war  on  land, 
which,  happily,  never  came. 

"And  how  about  Frederickson?"  I  asked, 
without  fear,  for  I  knew  nothing  could  have 
happened  to  the  Amazon's  lover,  so  jolly  and 
full  of  content  was  her  presence. 

A  scarlet  wave  swept  over  the  already  suf 
ficiently  florid  face  of  the  Swedish  girl  and  she 
half  turned  away: 

"Oh,  Frederickson,  he's  all  right!'1 

Then  after  a  pause  she  continued,  "I  hear 
that  you  was  married  already,  Mr.  Went- 
worth.  I  wish  you  joy." 

The  hearty,  old  fashioned  words  of  congrat 
ulation  went  straight  to  the  place  they  were 
aimed  at.  Again  I  shook  the  girl's  hand,  and 
she  walked  quickly  along  the  path  by  the  river, 
humming  an  old  tune,  and  disappeared. 


256  ARMAGEDDON. 

Fit/  toiled  long  and  earnestly  at  the  wood- 
chuck  hole,  and  the  clover  blossoms  about 
were  buried  beneath  the  upllung  sandy  soil  in 
which  he  dug',  while  I  looked  on  with  languid 
interest  in  the  proceeding.  After  all  I  had 
seen  and  undergone,  and  knowing  what  I  did 
of  the  work  in  progress,  but  one  subject  could 
ordinarily  be  uppermost  in  my  mind,  the  gi 
gantic  results  of  the  change  in  war  methods  1 
knew  to  be  impending.  I  thought  of  Apple- 
ton  again  in  the  role  of  a  warrior.  I  thought 
that  if  the  almost  inconceivable  should  some 
day  happen  and  men  should  dare  to  battle  in 
the  skies,  the  Valkyr  would  surely  be  the  bat 
tleship  of  one  aerial  squadron,  and  that  the 
name  of  Appleton  would  outlast  the  names  of 
most  generals  and  admirals.  Thinking,  de 
vising",  planning,  wrestling  of  mind,  these  have 
their  enduring  triumphs  in  war  and  in  peace. 

lUit  Appleton  says  that  this  triumph  of  war 
can  never  be,  ought  not  to  be,  and  shall  not 
be,  even  though  he  is  working  hard  to  perfect 
a  death-dealing  machine,  destructive  beyond 
all  others  ever  invented.  This  is  what  Apple- 
ton  said  to  me  that  day,  later  on,  when  the 
woman  who  has  not  been  named  and  I  were 
talking  with  him  and  his  wife: 


THE    PRAIRIE    AGAIN.  257 

"Civilization  has  reached  a  point  where  war 
is  suicide.  When  one  hundred  thousand  men 
meet  another  one  hundred  thousand  men  and 
the  only  possible  sequence  of  their  meeting 
means  that  one  hundred  thousand  of  the  two 
hundred  thousand  men  must  be  slain,  there 
isn't  going  to  be  any  fighting.  If  there  be  any 
such  thing  as  religion  or  a  future,  it  must  be 
wrong.  If  there  be  any  such  thing  as  a  re 
gard  for  personal  safety,  it  must  be  wrong. 
The  chances  in  war  will  be,  at  the  best,  less 
than  one  in  two  for  safety  to  the  individual. 
Never  in  any  battle  fought  in  all  the  history 
of  the  world  have  the  bravest  of  all  the  men 
of  the  world  faced  such  dreadful  chance.  They 
could  not  unless  they  were  fools. 

"War,  suppose  it  conceivable  under  the 
coming  conditions,  must  be  but  a  gamble;  it 
must  be  but  dice  thrown  in  the  air.  A  little 
accident  and  the  army  fighting  for  the  right 
or  the  army  fighting  for  the  wrong  will  have 
disappeared.  Both  armies  may  disappear  to 
gether. 

'The  time  of  powder  and  ball  has  gone  by. 
In  war,  already,  tons  of  high  explosives  are 
hurled,  and  every  mechanical  device  of  man  in 
his  greatest  development  of  control  over  na- 

17 


^5^          ARMAGEDDON 

ture  is  employed  in  this  manner  to  destruv 
human  lives.  \\'hen  aerial  warfare  is  added, 
the  end  will  have  come.  Think  of  thi-  one 
feature:  The  Hmperor  in  his  palace,  the  Par 
liament  or  Congress  within  its  doors,  will  be 
attacked.  There  can  be  no  safety  for  anyone, 
and  the  heads  of  nations  will  hesitate  betoiv 
they  declare  war.  A  kind's  crown  will  then 
be  in  as  much  peril  as  the  helmet  of  the  pri 
vate  soldier.  It  will  be  as  easv — has  been  as 
easy — to  sink  a  battleship  in  all  its  J^lory  at 
se;  as  to  sink  a  rowboat  on  a  placid  river." 

The  voice  of  Helen  broke  in  after  a  minute's 
silence. 

"Why  do  we   make  tiiese  killing   machine- 
then,  if  they  are  not   to  be  used?" 

"The  armies  and  navies  of  Kurope  preserved 
the  peace  of  Kurope  for  years  during  the  latter 
half  of  the  nineteenth  century."  replied  Ap 
pleton.  "The  menace  of  fatal  war  must  pre 
serve  alive,  as  it  has  heretofore,  many  a  nation, 
and  keep  it  in  peace.  To  have  a  world  at 
peace  there  must  be  massed  in  the  controlling- 
nations  such  power  of  destruction  as  may  not 
be  even  questioned.  So  we  shall  build  our 
appliances  of  destruction,  calling  to  our  aid 
everv  discoverv  and  achievement  of  science. 


THE    PRAIRIE    AGAIN. 

When  there  are  but  chances  about  war,  when 
it  means  death  to  all,  or  the  vast  majority  of 
all  who  engage  in  it,  there  will  be  peace." 

Appleton  paused  for  a  moment,  and  the  two 
women  looked  at  each  other,  half  protesting, 
but  half  understanding,  too.  And  Appleton 
said,  earnestly  and  quietly: 

"There  shall  be  no  more  war.' 


THE  END 


A     000128928     9 


